Thanksgiving Football has become a cherished holiday tradition, and this year it returns for another year with high-stakes holiday action. Every year, families gather around the television to watch three amazing matchups featuring some of the league’s top talent and fiercest rivalries. The tradition dates back to 1876 and continues to shock the world today.
How Thanksgiving Football Began
As surprising as it can be, Thanksgiving football didn’t start with the NFL. It actually began with college games in 1876, when the Intercollegiate Football Association, an early college football organization, held its championship game played by Yale and Princeton on Thanksgiving Day. The games started gaining popularity in 1880 when the championship moved to New York City, becoming a social event with pre-game dinners and post-game parties. Eventually, it grew so big that it led to more colleges and high schools across the country adopting their own Thanksgiving games.
The first owner of the Detroit Lions, George A. Richard, initiated the tradition of playing Thanksgiving football as a publicity stunt to attract fans to Lions games. The first broadcast game took place in 1934 against the Chicago Bears. At the time, the Chicago Bears were defending world champions, defeating the Lions 19-16. The game’s success was a landmark event that established a longstanding tradition. The event was a huge success, attracting 26,000 fans and resulting in a national radio broadcast that significantly elevated the league’s popularity. George Richard unknowingly marked the beginning of one of the most popular Thanksgiving traditions.
Development Through the Years
In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys joined the Thanksgiving tradition, which was also a major success. Their general manager, Tex Schramm, volunteered the Cowboys to play in a second game. Tex Schramm, like George Richard, had a goal of attracting more fans. The game was an even bigger success than the Lions, attracting over 80,000 fans and setting a record for a new time. The team’s commitment to playing on the holiday, coupled with their success, established the tradition and eventually earned them the nickname “America’s Team”. In 2006, the NFL expanded its Thanksgiving Day lineup from two games to three, adding a third game to cap off the holiday. The third game is usually a prime-time matchup broadcast on NBC, creating a full day of football from noon until night. A prime-time game is an evening game that is scheduled to have the largest television audience; they usually feature popular teams or significant matchups. While the Lions and Cowboys are a constant team, the other matchups vary, and starting in 2014, the games were no longer restricted to NFC versus AFC matchups.
Present Day
NFL Thanksgiving football is a day of tradition. This annual event is a major holiday, drawing massive television audiences, blending football with family, food, and celebration. This year, Thanksgiving football promises fantastic matchups, like Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys vs. Kansas City Chiefs, and Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens. Thanksgiving football this year is going to be a promising match.
