Thanksgiving is often associated with family gatherings, a feast of food, and, of course, football.
Since the 1920s, the National Football League (NFL) has scheduled games on this annual November holiday. The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys have become the traditional teams to play in the afternoon games each year.
This tradition began in 1934 when the Lions, a new team struggling with attendance, decided to host a Thanksgiving Day game and broadcast it across the country on the team owner’s radio network.
The game was a sell-out, and the tradition was born.
In 1966, the Cowboys sought to participate. Looking to grow their fanbase, the team’s general manager Tex Schramm believed that playing on Thanksgiving would help solidify “America’s Team.”
He was correct, Dallas has been a Thanksgiving staple ever since, with only a few exceptions in the 1970s.
Presently, the Lions start the day, followed by the Cowboys in the late afternoon. In 2006, the NFL added a primetime game.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott noted that it is a blessing he will never take for granted adding the donning of the special throwback uniforms evokes childhood memories of watching the Cowboys every Thanksgiving and playing with his brothers after or during halftime.
This year’s schedule features divisional rivalries. The Lions host the Green Bay Packers within the NFC North. Also, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens will be hosts to the Cincinnati Bengals. Patrick Mahomes will make his Thanksgiving Day debut as the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Cowboys.
Thanksgiving Day games have also given audiences John Madden and Pat Summerall who were the voices of Thanksgiving. Together, they broadcast 20 Thanksgiving games, and in 1997, they introduced the turducken.
Madden began celebrating the players of the game with a turkey leg in 1989.
Even Tom Brady sampled the turducken for the first time in the Fox broadcast booth last year.
Thanksgiving football, from the Lions and Cowboys games to the Turkey legs and turducken, is a holiday tradition.
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