Detroit sports fans, like many sports bases, are sometimes too thin-skinned and paranoid.

Last week a lot of these folks told me that the national media hates Detroit. That’s not true. The national media does not hate Detroit. It mostly ignores Detroit because nothing is going on around here now. Their job is to present stories that their followers and subscribers care about, not appease us.

Detroit just ain’t happening now. It’s the dead zone.

There are no great national stories happening in Detroit.

In fact, the best Detroit story is happening in Los Angeles, where former Lions and current Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is marching toward the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. Stafford is a polarizing figure in Detroit. Many in this town praise him and point out he was not the reason the Lions failed to win a playoff game under his watch.

Many others disagree and say he was a major reason the Lions failed to win during his 12 seasons here. Now he is winning with the Rams. And as usual, we must pick a side.

Are you a Stafford lover or a Stafford basher? There is no inbetween.

Put on your editor’s cap. What national feel-good story is the national media missing in Detroit?

It’s not the Detroit Pistons who are 11-36 and go through streaks of playing uninspiring basketball. Only the Orlando Magic (9-39) have a worse record in the Eastern Conference.

It’s not Cade Cunningham. He has to win over Dave Bing first. Cunningham is a good ball player who shows great promise. But he is not LeBron James as a rookie.

It’s not the Detroit Lions (3-13-1) who are sitting out the playoffs for the fifth straight season. They have a funny coach who is passionate about the game. However, this is big boy time as the better teams in the league compete for a championship. This is not knee cap sound bite season.

The Yzerplan interests us, but the national media does not care much about the NHL. And the Red Wings are on the outside looking into the playoffs.

Here is how the national media treats sport. If it happens in New York, it is huge news. If it happens outside New York, it is not as big a deal.

Who are the hot names in Detroit? Jared Goff? A second tier quarterback. Amon Ra St. Brown? He excites us, but in the grand scheme is a number two receiver on a good team. He’d have to have an Antonio Brown meltdown to get the cameras to come to Detroit.

Maybe it’s Lucas Raymond or Moritz Seider, good players on a bad team. However, they are not poised to win the Stanley Cup any time soon.

I still speak to a few of my media brothers and sisters from around the country. I had dinner with a couple of them just after Christmas. They always ask how things are going in Detroit. They root for Detroit. And they don’t hate Detroit.

Follow Foster on Twitter at TerryFosterDet.