The holiday season is all about tradition. And on Thanksgiving, seeing the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys play football is about as traditional as turkey, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole. But what is the reason behind two of the historical NFL franchises playing on the late-November holiday every year?
Why Do The Lions Play On Thanksgiving Day?
It all started in 1934. The Portsmouth Spartans had just been purchased by a radio executive named George A. Richards, who moved the team to Detroit and re-named them the “Lions”. But they were playing second fiddle in their new city thanks to the popularity of the Detroit Tigers baseball team, and Richards was looking for a way to boost the team’s national exposure.
In order to do so, he used his connections in the radio and media space. He negotiated a deal with NBC that year that would allow the Lions to play on Thanksgiving Day, while being broadcasted to 94 affiliated radio stations around the country. It worked, and the Lions became a mainstay for the holiday.
Detroit has played on Thanksgiving every year since, uninterrupted. And while they have been one of the most down-trodden franchises in the history of the NFL, their tradition of being a featured team during the holidays has survived throughout.
While seeing the Dallas Cowboys play on Thanksgiving has become a tradition as well, they didn’t get their start on the holiday until much later on. The franchise itself wasn’t birthed until 1960, and it took until 1966 for the team to play on the final Thursday of November.
Why Do The Cowboys Play On Thanksgiving Day?
Like the Lions, the Cowboys wanted to play on the holiday in order to boost popularity outside of the Lone Star State. So when the NFL wanted to add a second Thanksgiving Day game to the annual slate, team president Tex Schramm offered his team’s services. And in order to help the league avoid the scheduling logistics every year, Schramm offered to take the spot permanently.
The NFL actually worried about the attendance for the game, as the Cowboys had been one of the worst records in the league during the early days of their franchise. But that 1966 Thanksgiving Day contest saw the biggest crowd that Dallas had ever attracted for a football game, with an attendance count of 80,259.
The tradition was born, but the trend was bucked for a couple of seasons in the mid-1970s. In yet another attempt to increase a team’s popularity, the 1975 and 1977 Thanksgiving Day slot was given to the St. Louis Cardinals instead. The change didn’t last long, as the Cowboys have played on the holiday every year since.
It has helped make the Dallas Cowboys one of the most popular teams in the NFL, having the moniker of “America’s Team” since the late ‘70s.
The Lions have a record of 37-44-2 while playing on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys are sporting a mark of 32-23-1.
