CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s a decades-long tradition that just makes sense: NFL football on Thanksgiving. America’s favorite sport takes center stage during its most gluttonous holiday, a match made in heaven. But Ohioans really dislike watching America’s team.
In an unscientific survey analyzing the sentiment of social media, the website Betway Insider found Ohio tops the nation in being tired of watching the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. About 68% of Ohio social posts that mentioned both the holiday and the Cowboys were negative. Oregon, Colorado, Wisconsin and Louisiana also had negative scores above 60%. The website offers no take on how states feel about the Detroit Lions, which also play each Thanksgiving.
The Lions have played on every Thanksgiving since 1945, while the Cowboys have played on all but two occasions since 1966.
Football fans in Ohio are uniquely justified in their fatigue of watching the same teams play each Thanksgiving. After all, the tradition of playing NFL games on Thanksgiving began in the Buckeye State more than a century ago.
Yet, the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals don’t get a share of the modern spotlight on Thanksgiving.
Whether or not you like the teams playing, football at least provides a relatively mindless distraction from stressful cooking in crammed kitchens or political discussions with relatives. If you’re really into self-punishment, you could participate in a turkey trot, but considering the 60% chance of snow forecasted for Thanksgiving, I might advise against that.
Another less-strenuous activity is a family game of touch football, just like the legendary Geller Bowl of 1996 on “Friends.” But again, could Thursday’s forecast be any less enticing for outdoor activities?
So face it, after Santa Claus passes by in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, in between all of the panic cooking and preparation, you’ll be stuck indoors watching the same old Lions at 12:30 p.m. and Cowboys at 4:30 p.m.
But now it’s a commercial break, and your visiting uncle just said the word “election,” so you immediately pivot the conversation toward the history of NFL games on Thanksgiving. It’s a savvy move on your part, and a script dialogue is provided below.
The first NFL Thanksgiving games were played on Nov. 25, 1920, two years before the American Professional Football League rebranded to the National Football League. That Thanksgiving slate featured six games and five teams from Ohio: The Akron Pros defeated the Canton Bulldogs, 7-0; the non-league Elyria Athletics tied the Columbus Panhandles, 0-0; and the Dayton Triangles pummeled the Detroit Heralds, 28-0.
More than a century later, Ohio’s two NFL teams – the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals – are two of four teams to have never won on Thanksgiving Day, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) and Jacksonville Jaguars (never played). The Browns are 0-3 while the Bengals are 0-1, combining for just four games played on Thanksgiving despite the holiday’s football roots in Ohio.
RELATED:
Thanksgiving 2024 is the latest it can be. How rare is it for the holiday to fall so late?
What will be open and closed on Thanksgiving Day 2024?
In the 1960s, the NFL was looking for another team to commit to playing on Thanksgiving, joining the Lions, which began the tradition in 1934. The Cowboys, seeking to boost their national publicity, took the opportunity and played their first Thanksgiving game on Nov. 24, 1966. Their opponent that day? The Cleveland Browns, led by coach Blanton Collier, quarterback Frank Ryan and running back Leroy Kelly. The Cowboys defeated the Browns, 26-14, in front of 80,259 fans at the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas.
The Cowboys and Browns met again on Thanksgiving on Nov. 25, 1982, when Dallas again beat Cleveland, 31-14. The Browns also lost to the Lions, 13-10, on Nov. 23, 1989 – the last time Cleveland played on Thanksgiving.
The Bengals, meanwhile, played their lone Thanksgiving game on Nov. 25, 2010, in a 26-10 loss to the New York Jets.
And just like that, you’ve nailed your presentation on the history of the NFL on Thanksgiving — all while avoiding a dreaded political conversation with in-laws and third-cousins. Go ahead, have that extra slice of pie tonight — you’ve earned it, champ.