Written by Matthew Rairdon @boostermattyice
Thanksgiving, what does that mean to you? To many, it means getting together with family over a table full of food and saying what you’re thankful for. To others, it could mean handing out food to the homeless. And to some, it simply means the day before Black Friday. To me, it means two of my favorite things in the world: food and football!
Thanksgiving Football Creates a Family Tradition
For as long as I can remember, football has been on the TV every Thanksgiving. It was like clockwork; from the second I woke up, I could smell the turkey being basted by my mother and hear Terry Bradshaw cracking a joke on Fox Sports as they previewed the games. My brothers would be fighting over the turkey skin (which I now do, too), but I would be glued to the TV.
There were always two games: one featuring the Detroit Lions and the other, the Dallas Cowboys. I never cared for either team, but I was a sports fan, so it had my attention anyway. Since 1934, the Detroit Lions (formerly the Detroit Spartans) have always played on Thanksgiving. It wasn’t until 1966 that the Dallas Cowboys joined them, giving us two Thanksgiving games. Now, the Thanksgiving Day Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions games have become a staple in America.
Then, in 2006, the NFL added a third primetime game, which has been a tradition ever since. Where it was once only two games–featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the Detroit Lions–there are now three, meaning every NFL team except the Jacksonville Jaguars has had the opportunity to play on Thanksgiving Day.
In school, you may have learned about the Pilgrims and Indians as the origin of Thanksgiving, but in my house, it is food and football, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.