Happy Thanksgiving, U.S.A! Even though I am a hoser from the Great White North, I celebrate the U.S Thanksgiving every year by taking the day off work, grabbing some brews and calling around to see what like-minded guy is also not working, hoping he wants to join me for the three-match fiesta of football.
Every year on Thanksgiving, it is tradition that the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys each host an opponent as well as a third game that has no rhyme nor reason as to its combatants. The games are separated usually with kick-off times of 12:30, 4:30, and 8:30 EST… so basically it’s an entire day of football, beer and John Madden’s famous Tur-ducken dinner! What’s Turducken you ask? Well, turkey duck and chicken all combined into one glorious bird of course. It’s a great dish that John Madden highly recommends and I only wish I had the talent, time or energy to try myself!
As for the players, they all say it’s too bad to not be with their families on Thanksgiving, but the honour and pride of playing football in front of America on this day is a fair compensation. I tend to agree.
This year we have Houston @ Detroit, Washington @ Dallas, and New England @ New York Jets. I’m sure some of the games may seem a little lop-sided, but don’t be surprised if there is a shocking upset as in the past years. Thanksgiving day football has been known to be a day where players tend to step up their games another level given the national television exposure. Yeah, football players are all prima dona’s.
I wish there were more holiday sports traditions. It becomes a day that even if a person may not be a fan of either of the teams doing battle, or even a fan of the sport in general, it is a tradition after all, and it’s something we just do. Kind of like forcing ourselves to wear stupid looking sweaters on boxing days so as not to offend. Just kidding mom, love last year’s knitted green sweater. I digress.
Thanksgiving football is something for everyone to look forward to and remember when finished. It brings families together, not apart. Sports can provide passion and fun for everyone, even in very low marketed tournaments like the World Junior Hockey Championships, which traditionally begins on Boxing Day and has Canadians from coast to coast tuned in, together, with their families. But for our friends to the South, and many from Canada as well, this Thursday is about football. Oh yeah, the whole cornucopia, pilgrims, celebrating the harvest and turkey thing, too.
Happy Thanksgiving America! Enjoy your family, friends, and most of all, football!
