Thanksgiving Football

photo courtesy of AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth

A tradition like no other, many call it unique, others call it tradition. The Thanksgiving football games are beloved in the world of football, especially the NFL.
by Cassidy Bailey, Ty Cameron, and Drew Caraway

A tradition like no other, many call it unique, others call it tradition. The Thanksgiving football games are beloved in the world of football, especially the NFL.

On November 23rd, 2023, the NFL will play three Thanksgiving games, and air them all on three separate channels (FOX, CBS, NBC). The first game that will be going on is happening at 12:30 pm with the Green Bay Packers vs the Detroit Lions. The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants will follow, and the day will wrap up with the San Francisco 49ers facing off vs. the Seattle Seahawks.
Green Bay vs. Detroit (from NBC Boston).
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The Detroit Lions have a history with the holiday. The Lions have played in 82 Thanksgiving games. Unfortunately, the team hasn’t had the most success, winning only 37 of the games, and tying in two of them. The Packers walk into Thursday afternoon playing in their 36th Thanksgiving Day game, winning 14 and also tying in two, similar to Detroit. The teams head into the game at 7-2 and 3-6, which isn’t often, Green Bay usually has the better record. Both teams will play Sunday, then Thursday. They play on FOX at 12:30 PM (EST). 

Dallas vs. Washington
The Dallas Cowboys have played on Thanksgiving for a very long time. However, Washington has only played in 12 games on the special holiday. The Cowboys walk into Sunday at 6-3 and the Commanders 4-6. They play on CBS at 4:30 PM (EST). 

San Francisco vs. Seattle
Similar to the Washington situation, these teams usually don’t play on Thanksgiving, as both teams have played in a combined 11 games. The 49ers trot into Sunday coming off a huge win vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Seahawks are coming off a win vs. the Commanders. Both teams are 6-3 on the year and this game will be an extreme factor when it comes down to who will win the division crown. They play at 8:20 PM (EST).

Jacob’s Insight
Many people around the world involved football into the family based holiday. Including the players who get to play on Thanksgiving. A student at WGHS would like to pitch in on the Turkey-Day special. Jacob Rowe, a football fanatic, says “I think it should. It’s a really big hallmark of a lot of people’s traditions, you know watching the NFL. Who could forget John Madden and the turducken.” Rest in peace to John Madden. 

Do You Play Football on Thanksgiving?
Around the globe, it’s common to see families bonding together over a fun football game, whether it's a 3-3, 7-7,or just tossing the ball around. However, at WGHS, it’s different. A random and anonymous survey taken by students showed that only 30% of students (3 out of 10) played football with their families on Thanksgiving. 

Thanksgiving should be a time for love and carefulness. It’s the time of the year where most separate from the boring part of the year, into the Christmas time, happy and jolly. The same thing can be said for football. It feels better in Winter. 

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