In the Michigan Capitol, Packers-Lions rivalry runs deep between U.P., downstate lawmakers
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In his closing remarks on the state Senate floor, a lawmaker cited the Green Bay Packers' winning record against the Detroit Lions, dating back to 1930, before donning a cheesehead and confidently declaring "Go Pack Go."`
That scene didn't take place in Wisconsin's Capitol in Madison, but rather the Michigan statehouse in Lansing. There's a fair number of Packer fans in their state Legislature — mostly from the Upper Peninsula — who have an ongoing rivalry with downstate lawmakers.
"I know that a lot of you are feeling really optimistic," state Sen. Ed McBroom addressed his colleagues four days before the season opener. "I'm looking forward to Sunday."
McBroom, a Republican who represents the Upper Peninsula, keeps a yellow cheesehead at his desk, a tradition started by his predecessor, Tom Casperson. It wasn't the first time he donned it on the floor for a speech.
"I have to slip it on right at the last second, because we're not allowed to have props for our speeches. I always get gaveled down as soon as I put it on," McBroom told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It's a common joke, everybody gets a laugh out of it."
Senators in Michigan get five minutes to make statements on any subject, ranging from the serious to the lighthearted, McBroom said. A similar tradition in Madison is also governed by strict rules — lawmakers can't wear hats and must get permission to read from a printed document, for example.
"I'm looking forward to Sunday ... Go Pack Go," Michigan state Sen. Ed McBroom, who's from the U.P., says on the Michigan Senate floor while putting on a cheesehead. pic.twitter.com/F0hNPeo7M0— Craig Mauger (@CraigDMauger) September 4, 2025
The @MI_Republicans welcome the start of the NFL season and a @Lions win on Sunday! pic.twitter.com/aQKN5d2A5Y— Bill G. Schuette (@schuette_bill) September 4, 2025
Elsewhere in the Michigan Capitol last week, state Rep. Bill Schuette used a Lions-themed gavel to chair a committee meeting. The ongoing rivalry is a "regular source of fun," McBroom said.
"Occasionally, when the Packers lose to the Lions, we have to eat a little crow," he said. "But usually we win."
McBroom is headed to Lambeau Field for the Sept. 7 game with three other lawmakers, including one originally from the Milwaukee area. He has a $20 bet with a Detroit colleague — his prediction is Packers 23, Lions 20.
McBroom, who grew up a Packer fan, lives near Norway, Michigan, where he directs the city band and music at his church. He also has a small dairy farm near Iron Mountain.
He estimates around 55% to 60% of his constituents in the U.P. are Packer fans. The Lions faithful are more prevalent farther east and in the Keweenaw Peninsula, he said.
In 1919, the U.P. hosted the first Packers' road game in Ishpeming (the Packers won). That's just the start of the region's connections to the green and gold.
"I think U.P. Packer fans are just like other Wisconsin Packer fans," he said. "We're die-hard fans, through thick and thin, and proud of our team."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Before Packers-Lions game, this Michigan lawmaker donned a cheesehead
