You remember the three F’s of Thanksgiving, right? They are food, family and football. Without one of the three, it just doesn’t seem right. Ever since 1934, we’ve always been able to count on seeing the Detroit Lions play on Thanksgiving Day, and then the Dallas Cowboys joined the Thanksgiving club in 1966. Even in 2006, when the NFL added a third game, they had to put it in prime time, so as not to wreck the tradition that is the Lions and Cowboys playing at home during the day.
Recently though, some fans want to change the game and remove them from the two Big D’s, especially from Detroit, but that shouldn’t happen. No matter how much Detroit has struggled recently, its game on Thanksgiving is still a staple of the American experience. In its seventh decade of playing football on the fourth Thursday in November, and they deserve to stay on that day. The team might not have much playoff impact these days, but it still has Thanksgiving.
Now, with Dallas, I can start to understand. It’s been only since 1966, but that was when it was a budding expansion team, and it’s the team’s last tie to the glory days of Tom Landry and Roger Staubach. What I don’t agree with is the rotating game that happens on Thanksgiving night. I believe that there should be just one team that stays at home for the prime time game, such as the Jets or some other team in the AFC. I can understand that we need an AFC game, but keep it fixed.
I guess that Thanksgiving deserves to stay with Detroit and Dallas. I mean, it’s only tradition. Why should we keep it the same, especially when both teams aren’t very good this year? I’ll tell you why: It’s been that way for decades, and we need it to stay. It brings balance and enjoyment for all football fans. It shouldn’t matter whether either team is good, especially after Thanksgiving dinner and spending time with your family. So just sit back, relax and enjoy the Thanksgiving Classic with the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys.
Thanksgiving football guide
NFL
New England @ Detroit, 11:30 a.m., CBS
Editor’s pick: Patriots
New Orleans @ Dallas, 3:15 p.m., Fox
Editor’s pick: Cowboys
Bengals @ NY Jets, 7:20 p.m., NFL Network
Editor’s pick: Jets
College Football
Texas A&M @ Texas, 7 p.m., ESPN
Editor’s pick: Texas A&M
Wendlant is a sophomore broadcast news major and can be contacted at michael.wendlant@drake.edu