For many American families, a successful Thanksgiving is filled with loved ones around the table, turkey as a centerpiece and NFL games taking over every TV in the house.
Football has been a popular Thanksgiving tradition for many years, from amateur leagues to the pros. Families and friends even gather the morning of Thanksgiving for a quick pick-up game of flag, tag or tackle football. In one way or another, football is intertwined with Turkey Day festivities.
Here’s more insight into how Thanksgiving Day football became a long-lasting tradition.
Families gather every year to watch NFL football games on Thanksgiving. (Nic Antaya / Getty Images / File)
The Lions first started hosting an annual game in 1934 and have played nearly every year since. NFL games were paused from 1939 through 1944 due to World War II.
In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys became the second team to traditionally play on Thanksgiving. The Cowboys have played almost every Thanksgiving since 1966, except for 1975 and 1977. Instead, the NFL awarded the St. Louis Cardinals with games on Thanksgiving Day both years to increase fanbases of their franchise.
Gabriele Regalbuto is a Senior Editor of SEO at Fox News Digital. Gabriele has a Journalism and Communications degree from West Virginia University. She has worked to produce content for newspapers, magazines, and digital platforms. At Fox, she has assisted in coverage of breaking news events including the 2024 presidential cycle, 2022 midterm elections, Queen Elizabeth II’s death, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Leave a Reply