Many families have Thanksgiving Day traditions throughout the United States, which could include watching National Football League games. A total of six NFL teams are now featured annually on the holiday, with two of them playing every year.
Lions and Cowboys Thanksgiving Day Games
Dating back to 1934, the Detroit Lions have played in an annual Thanksgiving Day game. The lone exceptions were the 1939 through 1944 seasons that weren’t played due to World War II.The game was created by Lions owner G.A. Richards as a way to increase attendance and media hype for the team. Richards purchased the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans and moved them to Detroit prior to the tradition beginning.