![]() A stupid, ludicrous disagreeableness that we didn’t really get “good” football on the holiday. There was a time where I’d get irrationally angry at the idea of the Lions always playing on Thanksgiving. That might not sound too bad, but it’s been brutal over the last 20 years, where the Lions have been 5-15. There was a time where Detroit were highly competitive, but that’s evaporated along with the auto industry, I’m afraid. That original game in 1934 was a loss to George Halas’ legendary Bears, and to be honest, it hasn’t gotten a lot better since. The holiday has been, well, let’s say “unkind” to the Lions. The Lions die on Thanksgiving almost as often as turkeys The Lions started the entire Thanksgiving football tradition, and the league still honors that contribution by having them always play - no matter how bad their games tend to be. While people tend to think the NFL picked Detroit to play on Thanksgiving, really it’s the opposite. Radio broadcasts of the game were listed to far beyond Michigan and Illinois, and giving people football on the holiday proved to be just what the nation wanted. He proposed the Lions and Bears play on Thanksgiving, which turned into a massive success. Richards was hellbent on starting a new tradition. When the Lions moved to Detroit in 1934, owner G.A. So, why DO the Lions play on Thanksgiving every year? The Lions, on the other hand, well, they just kind of turn up - half drunk, screaming about their ex wife, reminiscing about their glory days during the Eisenhower administration, before falling asleep with a lit cigarette in this hand and burning a hole in the sofa. Sure, the Cowboys also play on Turkey Day each year, but it’s always been understandable that a team with such a national following would play on a national level. Their role as part of our day is as inexplicable as the racist uncle nobody likes, but who is always invited to the Thanksgiving table out of duty. An ever-present figure: The Detroit Lions. There has been a constant in the background of all this. We understood the mental toll of Thanksgiving to such an extent that we invented “Friendsgiving,” a whole separate chance to gorge ourselves with the people we really want to hang out with. How much can you push your body with food? How long can you mentally endure conversation with family? Can you make it through dessert without falling asleep? Every aspect of the cherished day is mired in this unalienable truth. Detroit regularly plays the early game, tailgated by Dallas in the late afternoon, and a rotating prime-time matchup was added in 2006.Thanksgiving is a holiday of endurance and stamina. Since 1978, the Lions and Cowboys have hosted a game on Thanksgiving every year. They have played every Thanksgiving since and have even become known as ‘America’s football team.’ Maybe it was luck or great marketing, but the Cowboys have certainly had their fair share of publicity since then.Ĩ0,259 fans attended the game in 1966, and since then the Cowboys have never looked back. The team’s general manager, Tex Schramm, wanted the Cowboys to play to get the team more publicity. In 1966, the Cowboys also started the tradition of playing Thanksgiving football. Richards arranged an agreement with NBC to broadcast his Thanksgiving games on 94 stations across the country. ![]() Other teams had played on Thanksgiving before 1934, but the Lions were distinctive because Richards held a radio station, a primary affiliate of the NBC Blue Network. He joins before today's Thanksgiving game vs the Packers! /Jx9XBoyUtd- FOX Sports: NFL November 23, 2023 This year has felt special for the Detroit and a big reason for that is thanks to their head coach, Dan Campbell.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |