Eminem raps about AAF, drops subtle request for a team in Detroit

Tony Paul, The Detroit News Published 11:48 a.m. ET March 26, 2019 | Updated 1:00 p.m. ET March 26, 2019

What does Eminem do when his beloved Detroit Lions are in the offseason?

Apparently, he likes to lose himself in some AAF — the Alliance of American Football, the new professional league that's drawing some mighty impressive television ratings early in its inaugural season.

Eminem, the Metro Detroit megastar and rapper, sent out a tweet Monday night that went viral, in which he advocates for the league to allow players to fight ("key to the league's success, like hockey"), and drops a subtle plea for a team in Detroit.

DEAR @THEAAF,
PLEASE ENTERTAIN THIS THOUGHT REGARDING THE @AAFIRON @AAFEXPRESS GAME: ALLOWING THE PLAYERS TO ACTUALLY FIGHT WOULD BE KEY TO LEAGUE’S SUCCESS LIKE HOCKEY, I WOULD WATCH EVERY GAME (EVEN THOUGH THERE IS NO DETROIT TEAM YET - HINT). DON'T BLOW IT.
SINCERELY,
MARSHALL
— Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) March 26, 2019

Cute, he signs the tweet, "SINCERELY, MARSHALL".

The tweet had been liked more than 70,000 times as of Tuesday morning.

Eminem, real name Marshall Mathers, got a pretty quick response from Charlie Ebersol, the league's CEO and co-founder who seemed to like the idea of a Detroit franchise.

"Let me know if you want in on it," Ebersol tweeted.

Detroit is not a bad idea for a future franchise. Let me know if you want in on it.
— Charlie Ebersol (@CharlieEbersol) March 26, 2019

The AAF is made up of eight teams, only one of which is located in a city that also has an NFL team — the Atlanta Legends.

The season is to run 10 regular-season weeks, having begun in early February.

It's one of two new professional football leagues to pop up in recent years, with the second incarnation of the XFL — Vince McMahon's brain child, which was a huge financial flop the first time around — set to begin play next year. The XFL considered Detroit for one of its eight franchises, but city leaders didn't make a hard sell for one.

Eminem, 46, makes frequent appearances at Lions games, often on the sidelines.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @tonypaul1984