"There was some irony in today's protest of Nickelback as halftime performer at the Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving Day game: The Motor City is actually one of the strongest markets for the band, which was one of the past decade's best-selling acts.

With media coverage mushrooming and links springing up on sports and entertainment sites, an online petition was drawing dozens of signatures a minute this afternoon, inveighing against the band's selection for the Lions' Nov. 24 game against the Green Bay Packers, the same week the group's new album hits stores.

By 5:30 p.m., more than 10,000 people had digitally signed the document asking the NFL to replace the "awful band."

"Does anyone even like Nickelback?" the petition asks. "