Circa owner Derek Stevens had so much fun at the Detroit Lions playoff game last week that he wants to share the experience with his customers.

Two sports bettors will win seats on Stevens’ plane Sunday morning to the Bay Area, where they will watch the NFC championship game between the Lions and 49ers with his group before returning home on the plane.

“There’s no need to pack your bags,” Stevens said on his property Thursday evening. «We will leave Sunday morning and return Sunday evening. Quick 15 hour trip.”

His entourage’s two spots will be raffled off at 9:15 pm during Saturday night’s “Huddle Up at Overhang” pep rally. Participants can earn entries by wearing their favorite NFL team’s gear or by wagering a minimum of $100 on a Lions-49ers game bet at the sportsbook.

The festivities will take place from 7pm to 9pm on Friday and Saturday evenings, although grand prize winners will need to be present to win on Saturday.

Other prizes available include cabanas and loungers at Stadium Swim, as well as dinner at Barry’s Downtown Prime.

The idea to include fans on the journey to the game came from a trip Stevens and his friends took last week when they hopped on a plane in the early hours of Sunday morning and found themselves at his favorite Detroit bar, Nemo’s, before attending the Lions game. Victory in the divisional playoffs against the Buccaneers.

A group of about 15 people grew to more than a hundred, and Stevens began thinking about how to include more people in such an experience.

“It was really fun and the energy was amazing,” she said. “So we decided to come with the idea of ​​chartering a flight and we kept two extra seats because we’re having this cocktail party Friday and Saturday night and we want a couple of people to be able to experience it.”

The grand prize winners don’t necessarily have to cheer for the Lions, although they are certainly the team Stevens will be rooting for.

While not the primary driver of his entrenched interest, a Lions title would be good for business.

“The way things have gone for us, the Lions are the top pick in the NFC and the Super Bowl at this point (for sports betting),” Stevens said. “But I got a text that there might be a seven-figure bet coming up on the Lions to win it all, so that could change things.”

Even if the Lions lose by the book, Stevens will still be a raucous supporter. The Detroit native, who is still riding high on Michigan’s national title in college football, said the Lions’ success was a galvanizing event for his hometown.

“My first game with the Lions was at Tiger Stadium and until this year I had only seen one playoff win,” the 56-year-old said. “I look at this and see generations of history, just reminding people of these incredible emotions. It’s a working-class town where many people still live within 10 miles of where they were born. These are fourth and fifth generation fans, so it was really the family that caused all these emotions.

Stevens said he’s seen some national pundits dismiss or even mock images of Lions fans crying after the team defeated Tampa Bay last week, but to him it’s no laughing matter.

“From the outside, you might think it’s strange,” he said. “But the reality is that it’s just an outpouring of years of emotion. Every grown man who cried cried because he remembered when he was 10 years old and his father took him to the game or he was 6 years old and watched the game with his grandfather. He is very raw and real.

Regardless of how Sunday goes, Stevens believes Las Vegas will be the big winner, as he sees any combination of the four remaining teams as good for business in the Super Bowl. Fans in San Francisco and Kansas City have proven to travel in droves to Super Bowls, and Stevens said the Baltimore Ravens have a lot of intrigue because of their defense and future second-time MVP, Lamar Jackson.

He also said that Lions fans will prove to be a dominant force should Detroit actually make the Super Bowl.

“The only reason people don’t know that Lions fans travel is because there’s never been a reason to,” he said. “I think Las Vegas has already picked up a victory.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.