There’s no love for DCFC — and that needs to change | Letters to the Editor

How does Detroit solve its "brain drain" problem? By investing in its people.

The recent news of the series of large scale murals in preparation for the NFL Draft is a frustrating reminder of how it feels to be homegrown, yet invisible.

Detroit's creatives are vocal and organized, yet often not at the table when decisions are being made. They are the culture; there is no need to look elsewhere.

Jenifer R. Daniels

Grosse Pointe Woods

Lions, Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons ... what about DCFC?

This letter is inspired by Shawn Windsor's recent column highlighting how three (if not four) of our city's major sports teams are on the upswing ("3 of Detroit's major pro teams are on the upswing. Are the Pistons finally next?" Detroit Free Press, Oct. 25).

I agree that the Lions (obviously), Red Wings, Tigers, and yes, even the Pistons, are on the upswing. There certainly does seem to be a type of franchise magnetism between teams: when one team is doing well, it seems to raise the others too. Not always (witness our formerly hapless Lions), but frequently enough.

It's time to put world football (yes, soccer) into the category of major sports teams. Our Detroit City Football Club was once again in the playoffs of the United Soccer League (USL), the rough equivalent of AAA baseball. It's just a matter of time before a Detroit team advances into Major League Soccer. And it'll need a new stadium with natural turf to do that. And if our city doesn't do that, I'm pretty sure that some community on the un-fun side of 8 Mile Road will build one for them.

It's interesting that this list of our city's major sports teams does not include a single women's team. (DCFC supports the semi-pro women's soccer squad.) We should have never let our champion Detroit Shock WNBA team go, but we did. A world class sports city certainly should have a professional women's basketball team. We should also seek to host professional lacrosse and women's ice hockey teams.

Maybe, just maybe, the invigorating impact of the Lions will encourage sports entrepreneurs to bring additional franchises to our city.

Thomas E. Page

Detroit

Shawn Fain got it done

Congratulations to United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain and Vice President Chuck Browning on their historic deal with Ford Wednesday. ("UAW President Fain 'wholeheartedly' endorses deal with Ford, urges members to approve it" Detroit Free Press, Oct. 30.) You and your members are among the hardest-working people in the county, and you deserve this. The money was there all along.

Thank you for exposing the flawed economics of laissez faire, trickle-down Reaganomics that has had a hold on this country for over four decades. In time, the hard-fought battles of unions have historically benefited all workers whether unionized or not. It’s not good enough to just get by and make do. Hard-working people and their families deserve to thrive. When profits gush in at the top and only trickle down to the workers below, only the CEOs get rich.

Want to know what “woke capitalism” looks like? I choose to spend my hard-earned money in such a way that most benefits hard working people and their families, not the CEOs and shareholders at the top. Make no mistake about it, the next time I purchase a car it will be a Ford.

Eddie Dee

Novi

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NFL Draft murals, Detroit soccer, UAW's win in Ford talks | Letters