The Motor City, on scoreboards

DET

["Think of the three-letter abbreviation for the Michigan city known as the birthplace of Motown music and home to the Lions."]

"The Motor City" is a well-known nickname for Detroit, Michigan, thanks to its historic ties to the auto industry. On sports scoreboards, city names are often shortened to three-letter abbreviations, so Detroit becomes "DET." The clue plays on this convention by combining the nickname with the scoreboard format to hint at the answer.