With Thanksgiving right around the corner and the winter sports season in full swing, it is the perfect time to explore the profound connection the two share.
American football, and the National Football League (NFL) in particular, have had a massive impact on the culture of the national holiday. It is a longstanding tradition that the league plays multiple games on Thanksgiving, which always include the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys. The Lions have hosted a game annually since 1934, and the Cowboys since 1966.
For many, these games have become ingrained in Thanksgiving culture, just as much as the food and family. Some families even schedule their entire day with the NFL festivities in mind. For Lions fans like Michigan native Andy Vestich, watching his team play on the holiday has been a tradition as far back as he can remember.
“Ever since I was a child, the [Lions] game has always been a part of Thanksgiving,” Vestich said in an interview with The Beacon. “We planned dinner around the game.”
Cowboys fans shared a similar experience. Anderson Free, a sports communication student at Emerson College and the son of a diehard Dallas fan, remembers how big of an impact football had on his family’s Thanksgiving.
“I remember the Cowboys would always play at 4:30,” said Free. “We would watch the Lions game until we ate and then by the time we were finishing up it was time for the Cowboys game.”
Thanksgiving Day football has also made a lasting impression on multiple generations. Vestich, 54, loves to reminisce about watching Lions legends Barry Sanders and Herman Moore on Thanksgiving in the 1990s.
“The teams of the ‘90s were so electric and so much fun to watch,” he said.
Eighty-seven-year-old retired college football coach Herb Grenke has stories from even farther back. While recruiting in the Detroit area in the early 1970s, he and his staff went to a Lions-Packers game on Thanksgiving. He watched football legends like Bart Starr and Ray Nitschke.
“It was always cool to get to see something like that, and we probably wouldn’t have been able to do it if it wasn’t on that day,” Grenke said. “It was a big deal.”
For 20-year-old Free, more recent games come to mind when he thinks of Thanksgiving memories—most notably, a 2021 overtime duel between the Cowboys and the Las Vegas Raiders.
“It was going back and forth, my dad was sitting there freaking out, and then I just remember the dejectedness in the room after the Cowboys lost,” Free said.
These traditions have in some cases transcended the actual sport itself. Even people who do not consider themselves football fans will sit and watch the games because it feels like an event.
“I’m not a huge football fan—I find it a bit silly—but [I think] football on Thanksgiving has real cultural significance,” said film major Carley Roberts. “When I think about Thanksgiving, I picture the turkey in the oven and my dad and grandpa watching the game.”
The history of football on Thanksgiving can be traced back to the dawn of college football in the late 1800s. Princeton and Yale would play each other every Thanksgiving Day from 1876-1881. Starting in 1882, it was decided that a college championship game would be played between the two top teams in New York City on Thanksgiving. The NFL would then follow in its collegiate counterpart’s footsteps.
More unorganized games between friends, family, and intramural leagues are common on Thanksgiving as well. These unofficially dubbed “Turkey Bowls” are often the last chance for groups to get together and play before cold winter weather shuts them down.
“My brother always plays a game with his friends every year,” said visual media arts major Jessica Skurbe. “I think it’s a bit silly but they always seem to have a lot of fun.”
On the other hand, some people believe it is a little ridiculous that the sport has become such a significant part of Thanksgiving traditions.
“It just takes away [from] what we should use the holiday for,” said stage managing major Shae Muchler. “I think the toxic culture football comes with takes away from an event that should be catered to being thankful and around the ones you love.”
“Thanksgiving football made me miss a TV marathon when I was eight–I was distraught,” laughs Skurbe.
For many, however, the autumn season, falling leaves, and time off of school or work make it the best time to indulge in some pigskin action.
“Football’s always synonymous with the fall, [and] Thanksgiving comes right in the thick of it. It’s a perfect fit,” said Free.
“For me, they’re one and the same. I can’t envision Thanksgiving without football,” said journalism major Max Lasky.
This year’s Thanksgiving matchups will include two divisional showdowns with the juggernaut Lions taking on the Chicago Bears at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Cowboys hosting the New York Giants at 4:30 p.m. The Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins will also face off in the primetime window at 8:20 p.m.
Other notable sporting events over the holiday weekend include the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cup (in-season tournament) action on Friday, Nov. 29, and rivalry weekend in college football on Saturday, Nov. 30.
