Is this the first step in a Lions cheer group?

Does this Sunday mark the beginning of something the Lions never really had? Maybe a turn in fortune for a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 1999? Hopefully, but Sunday may mark the beginning of the Lions perhaps being swayed into getting professional cheerleaders, something the team really hasn’t ever had in their 81 years of existence.
The Detroit Pride Cheerleaders, a rogue group of professional cheerleaders hope to be the group the changes the minds of the Lions upper brass into implementing a cheerleading group on the field during Lions home games. The group will make their debut this Sunday at the Lions home opener as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to Terry Foster of the Detroit News, the Lions have imposed some rules on the group while they are in Ford Field since they are not affiliated with the organization in any way. Here are those rules…

They are not allowed to perform organized cheers.
• They cannot obstruct the view of fans.
• They are not allowed to take group photos with fans. Only two girls may appear in photos, so they plan to walk through Ford Field in rows of two.
• They cannot wear Lions logos or team colors. Although there is blue in their uniforms, it will not be “Honolulu blue.”

“We are not going to do anything that would cause us to be asked to leave and we do not want them (the Lions) mad,” said Andrea Wiliamowski, director of operations for the Pride. “We want them to like us. We want to show the Ford organization and the Lions that this is something people want.
“We want to support the team because we believe they deserve it. We believe they are going to do well and we want to make them happy.”
I like I’m sure many fans would love to see the organization finally employ a professional group of cheerleaders for the team. What I don’t understand is why it hasn’t been done already? What harm could possibly come out of having professional cheerleaders at a game? We have seen the success of many groups in the past such as the Laker girls, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and even the Pistons’ Automotion who although are not as well known as the Laker girls or the Cowboy Cheerleaders serve as a great marketing tool for the team. This is something that the Lions can really use since there haven’t been many bright spots in the teams entire history. I’m also not going to buy the argument that the Lions should worry about winning games before concerning themselves with cheerleaders. That’s simply like comparing apples and oranges.