Braden Fracassi ‘23, Social Media Manager
Every Sunday Detroit Lions fans watch the game with hope of winning just to be disappointed. They won four NFL Championships in 1935, 1952, 1953, and 1957, but they have yet to win a Super Bowl since the Super Bowl was established. So, ever. The Lions have not made the playoffs since 2016 and have not won a playoff game since Jan. 5, 1992. They have not won their division since 1993. Let’s just say it has been a rough patch for the Lions and their loyal fans.
For some reason, even though the Lions have been so bad, they always play on Thanksgiving Day, one of the biggest days to watch football. This year, fans thought it was going to be a different season for Detroit, especially after their spotlight on Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions aired on HBO Max, but after a 3-6 start, 97.1 The Ticket’s Mike Valenti said, “It’s the same old Lions.”
So, why does one of the worst teams in the NFL play on Thanksgiving every year? Well, it has been like this ever since 1934 when George Richards moved the Lions to Detroit. He wanted to draw fans, so he convinced NBC to broadcast a Thanksgiving game on 94 stations across the country. It was a marketing strategy, and it worked very well; it actually inspired the Dallas Cowboys 32 years later in 1966 to make it a tradition in Dallas to play on Thanksgiving, too.
Unfortunately, the Lions have a losing record while playing on Thanksgiving. They are 37-43-2 all-time on Turkey Day. They also have not won a game on Thanksgiving since their 16-13 win against the Vikings back in 2016.
It is not looking good for them to break that losing streak this year, as they are going to face a very good Bills team who started the season 6-3. South Lyon High School senior Benny Leece said, “It’s going to be a massacre.” But, I guess we will not know until we sit down in front of our televisions, with a plate of turkey and mashed potatoes, on Nov. 24.
Lyon Life 