How did Thanksgiving football traditions start?
MINNEAPOLIS – Next week, the Minnesota Vikings will host their first Thanksgiving game at home.
It will be the third of three NFL games that are always played on the holiday. The Detroit Lions always take the first game, and the Dallas Cowboys the second.
Detroit's tradition goes back to 1934, before football was on TV. George Richards had just bought the team for $7,900 and wanted to attract fans. So they asked the defending world champs, the Chicago Bears, to play in Detroit. The lions lost, but the game continued on.
Dallas' tradition started in 1966 in a game that aired on CBS. General Manager Tex Schramm wanted more national publicity. They played the Cleveland Browns at the Cotton Bowl in front of 80,000 people, and won.
In 2006, the NFL added a third game, played at night. This year, the Vikings will take on the New England Patriots at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings have played in that Thanksgiving game eight times, where they've gone 6 and 2. The last time was a 2017 win in Detroit, where their touchdown celebration was a Thanksgiving dinner.
Every NFL team has played on Thanksgiving, except the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Behind Detroit and Dallas, the Green Bay Packers have played the most Thanksgiving games, making 36 Turkey Day appearances.