For all of our own efforts at community building, there are few things that bring a region together more than a championship run from one of our major sports teams. And though they came up two quarters short of making it to the Super Bowl, the Detroit Lions proved that theory once again — with gusto. Their appearance in the NFC Championship game of the NFL Playoffs, and increasingly so with every week that preceded it, lit a fire under metro Detroit, banding together generations of fans and non-fans alike.

As one might expect, the sports bars of Sterling Heights were lit up on the night of Sunday, Jan. 28. So, too, was The Halo, which the City of Sterling Heights lit up in blue and white in honor of the Lions and their big playoff run. We sent photographer David Lewinski to some of the city’s most enthusiastic watering holes to document the big night.

A strong start from the Lions against the San Francisco 49er's had Jamboozies Sports Bar & Grill rocking.











Things got tense as the game wore on, as the crowd at Joey B's Public House leans in to will the team closer to victory.





We'll get 'em next year.