Majority of Lions fans planning on watching Michigan Panthers in UFL Championship

The Michigan Panthers are in the 2025 UFL Championship game, but will Detroit Lions fans be watching?

The 2025 UFL Championship Game will be played on Saturday, June 14, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will feature the Michigan Panthers versus the Birmingham Stallions. While this event is the pinnacle of the UFL season, the league is still very young and is still working hard to gain viewership.

And that led us to this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey question: Will you be watching the Michigan Panthers in the UFL Championship?

There are plenty of reasons one may be enticed to watch the event. Maybe a viewer will tune in because they love football and will watch at any opportunity. Or perhaps they’re trying to familiarize themselves with the players in case the Detroit Lions become interested in signing someone—like they did last season with kicker Jake Bates. Or for any variety of other reasons.

So, will Lions fans be tuning in? The results from this week’s survey suggest they will:

For those 83% of Lions fans tuning in, it’s worth noting that the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook are favoring Michigan, and the betting line has increased to Panthers -3.5 points, up a half-point from the opening line earlier in the week.

Let’s look at the comment section of our original survey to allow Lions fans to explain their reactions and voting choices (slightly edited for clarity):

• Datertots: “I’ll be watching. Perkins is clearly solid. Toa Taua is also one to watch. He is a hard runner that does not get tackled easily. Wonder if he could get picked up by some NFL team... The UFL is fun to watch - every game is on TV - and it sure beats anything else on TV.”
• JayBDet: “Yes, it’s football..and this is the ‘dead zone’ in the NFL season. Besides, it’s pretty exciting and fun to watch.”
• Mike Sawson: “Yes, because, like the rest of the Detroit sports teams, the Panthers are back, baby! (I) like how the league has done away with the extra point kick and forced the scoring team into a weird Bozo Bucket choice of going for one, two, or three points from scrimmage.”
• maow cat: “1000%. I have watched every UFL game so far since its inception (and I think every USFL and XFL game, too, since they revived) and will continue to watch the league as it stands now. I sincerely hope the league continues to perform well and grow, and the fact the Panthers are in the championship is just gravy (sic) on the cake.”

Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Detroit Lions fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.