For
millions of American families, Thanksgiving follows a familiar rhythm: turkey
in the oven, relatives at the table and a football game on TV. The pairing
feels so natural that many people never ask why it exists. The answer goes back
to the 1870s, to college students, a radio executive in Detroit and a Dallas
team president who saw an opportunity. Here is how football became part of the
holiday.
It started with college football
Football on Thanksgiving
is older than the NFL. In 1876, Yale beat Princeton 2-0 in Hoboken, New Jersey,
in one of the earliest Thanksgiving games, according to HISTORY. By the 1890s, many
college and high school teams played on the holiday.
The timing made sense.
Thanksgiving fell near the end of the fall season, families were off work, and
a big game gave towns a reason to gather. High school “rivalry games” on
Thanksgiving morning are still a tradition in many communities.
The NFL joined from the very
beginning
When the NFL played
its first season in 1920, it scheduled games on Thanksgiving right away.
HISTORY notes that six professional games were played that day, including a
scoreless tie between the Elyria Athletics and the Columbus Panhandles. From
1922 to 1933, the Chicago Bears and Chicago Cardinals regularly met on the
holiday.
Why the Detroit Lions always play
on Thanksgiving
The modern
tradition began in Detroit in 1934. George A. Richards, a Detroit radio
executive, had just bought the Portsmouth Spartans and moved them to the city
as the Lions. The new team struggled for attention in a town that loved its
baseball Tigers, so Richards scheduled a Thanksgiving game against the powerful
Chicago Bears to grab headlines, according to the Pro Football Hall
of Fame.
It worked. All
26,000 tickets at the University of Detroit Stadium sold out two weeks early.
Richards also used his radio connections to put the game on 94 NBC Radio
stations, making it the first NFL game broadcast nationally. The unbeaten Bears
won 19-16, but the Lions had found a holiday that would define the franchise.
Detroit has
hosted a Thanksgiving game every year since then, except for a break from 1939
to 1944 during World War II. In 1953, a Packers-Lions game became the first
nationally televised Thanksgiving game.
Why the Dallas Cowboys host the
second game
In 1966, the NFL
added a second Thanksgiving game at the request of television networks, HISTORY
reports. Cowboys president and general manager Tex Schramm secured the game for
his young team. On November 24, 1966, Dallas beat the Cleveland Browns 26-14 at
the Cotton Bowl in front of 80,259 fans, a crowd that proved the idea could
work.
The Cowboys
hosted every year until the league tried a change. The St. Louis Cardinals
hosted in 1975 and 1977 and also played at Dallas in 1976, losing all three
games. Starting in 1978, the Cowboys became the permanent second host. Dallas
has missed hosting on Thanksgiving only in 1975 and 1977, according to the Pro
Football Hall of Fame.
Timeline of
football on Thanksgiving from 1876 to today
A third game and a full day of
football
In 2006, the NFL
added a third Thanksgiving game, so the holiday now offers football from early
afternoon into the night. Unlike the Detroit and Dallas games, the third game
is not tied to one permanent host.
The result is a
holiday schedule built around football. Many families plan the meal between
games, and Thanksgiving broadcasts are typically among the most-watched games
of the NFL regular season.
Why the tradition lasts
Several things keep football and
Thanksgiving tied together:
•
Everyone is home. It is one of the few
days when multiple generations sit in the same living room.
•
It fills the long afternoon. Dinner takes
hours to cook, and football gives guests something to share while they wait.
•
It is familiar. Detroit and Dallas have
hosted for decades, so the games feel like part of the holiday itself, the same
way turkey and pumpkin pie do.
•
It is easy to join. Even guests who do
not follow football all season tend to watch on Thanksgiving.
Many families also play their own
backyard game, often called a “Turkey Bowl,” before or after dinner.
Our take
What stands out about Thanksgiving football is
how much of it came from practical decisions. A new owner needed publicity. A
league wanted more TV games. A team executive saw a chance to put his club in
front of the whole country. None of them set out to create a national
tradition, yet decades later, football is almost as much a part of the holiday
as the meal. Like the turkey on the table, it lasted because families made it
their own.
How to make football part of your
Thanksgiving
•
Plan dinner around the games. Check the
schedule a few days ahead and serve the meal between games or at halftime of
the game your family cares about most.
•
Set up a second screen or room for guests
who would rather talk than watch.
•
Start a family game. A short
touch-football game in the yard before dinner gets everyone moving.
•
Keep food safety in mind. If snacks sit
out during the games, follow the USDA’s two-hour rule for perishable food. Our
Super Bowl party guide has more game-day food tips.
To learn why
turkey became the centerpiece of the meal, read our guide to why Americans eat
turkey on Thanksgiving.
Frequently asked questions
Why do the Lions always play
on Thanksgiving?
Lions owner George A. Richards
started the tradition in 1934 to draw attention to his new team. Detroit has
hosted a Thanksgiving game almost every year since, except from 1939 to 1944.
Why do the Cowboys play on
Thanksgiving?
When the NFL added a second
Thanksgiving game in 1966, Cowboys president Tex Schramm secured the game for
Dallas. The Cowboys became the permanent second host in 1978.
When did football on
Thanksgiving start?
One of the earliest known
Thanksgiving games was Yale vs. Princeton in 1876. The NFL has played on
the holiday since its first season in 1920.
How many NFL games are
played on Thanksgiving?
Three. The league added a
second game in 1966 and a third in 2006.
What was the first
nationally televised Thanksgiving game?
The 1953 Green Bay Packers
vs. Detroit Lions game.
Sources
1.
HISTORY – How football became a Thanksgiving
tradition – college origins, early NFL games, Cowboys 1966,
first televised game, third game.
2.
Pro Football Hall of Fame – Thanksgiving game
tradition dates to 1934 – the 1934 Lions-Bears game, radio broadcast,
Dallas hosting record.
