During the offseason, the Detroit Lions debuted a brand new lectern for pressers that had one very noticeable feature: it was absolutely massive.
No, really, it was massive. That isn't just me blowing things out of proportion, either. The thing was so big that it made head coach Dan Campbell, who stands at 6-foot-5 and 265 pounds (according to his playing weight) look small.
“This is a huge podium,” Campbell said upon stepping up to the lectern for the first time at training camp. We'll explain why we call it a lectern and not a podium in a minute. Yes, there is a difference.
So, the Lions decided to downsize and go with a much skinnier lectern that was the exact opposite of the previous one in terms of size. Lectern No. 2 could've used a cheeseburger or two to fill out more.
Finally, on Monday, the Lions unveiled their latest lectern that is just about right in the middle of the other two in terms of size. Along with that, Detroit's social media team released a hilarious video to address the situation.
Brand.
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 9, 2024
New.
Podium. pic.twitter.com/DOJVLuOJfX
That is much, much better.
So, now our vocabulary lesson, which we fully admit we needed also because we used to call the lectern a podium.
According to Dictionary.com, a lectern is "a stand with a slanted top, used to hold a book, speech, manuscript, etc., at the proper height for a reader or speaker" while a podium is "a small platform for the conductor of an orchestra, a public speaker, the recipient of a sports medal, etc."
Happy to help clear that up.
