Ever sat down for dinner and wondered why the Detroit Lions—a team that hasn't exactly been a perennial powerhouse for the last half-century—are always on your TV while the turkey is carving? It’s a weirdly specific American tradition. You’ve got the smell of stuffing, the family arguments, and the Lions inevitably playing at 12:30 PM. It’s almost as certain as gravity.
But honestly, the answer to why do the lions always play on thanksgiving isn't about some secret NFL rule or a love for Detroit. It was actually a desperate marketing stunt from the 1930s that just happened to work way better than anyone expected.
The Marketing Hail Mary of 1934
Go back to 1934. George A. Richards, a radio executive, had just bought the Portsmouth Spartans and moved them to Detroit. He renamed them the Lions. The problem? Nobody cared. In Detroit, baseball was king. The Tigers were the city's obsession, and the Lions were basically an afterthought playing in a crowded sports market.
Richards knew he needed a gimmick. He needed something to make the Lions a household name overnight. So, he looked at the calendar and saw Thanksgiving. At the time, playing on the holiday wasn't a new concept—high schools and colleges had been doing it for years—but it wasn't a "thing" for the fledgling NFL yet.
Richards used his connections. Since he owned WJR, a powerful radio station, he convinced the NBC Blue Network to broadcast the game across 94 stations nationwide. It was a massive gamble.
The Lions took on the Chicago Bears, who were the defending champs at the time. The 26,000-seat University of Detroit Stadium sold out. They even had to turn people away at the gates. The Lions lost that game 19-16, but the broadcast was a hit. The tradition was born not out of prestige, but out of a need to sell tickets to a team that was struggling to find an audience.
Why Do the Lions Always Play on Thanksgiving Every Single Year?
You’d think after a few years, other teams would have complained. They did. But by the time the NFL became a global behemoth, the Lions' Thanksgiving game was already a "heritage" event.
The league basically decided that because Detroit (and later Dallas in 1966) took the risk when no one else wanted the slot, they earned the right to keep it. It’s a grandfathered-in privilege. There have been plenty of attempts to rotate the hosting duties, particularly in the 1970s when Commissioner Pete Rozelle faced pressure from other owners who wanted a piece of the holiday ratings.
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However, the Lions held firm. The city of Detroit and the Ford family (who bought the team in 1963) viewed the game as a core part of the city’s identity. It’s one of the few times a year the national spotlight stays fixed on the Motor City for something positive.
The Dallas Cowboys Join the Fray
If you’re asking why do the lions always play on thanksgiving, you’re probably also wondering about the Cowboys. Their story is similar but happened much later. In 1966, Tex Schramm, the legendary Cowboys GM, wanted more national exposure. He saw what Detroit was doing and signed up for a Thanksgiving slot.
The NFL was worried. They thought people might get tired of football on a holiday (imagine that now). The league actually guaranteed Schramm that if no one showed up, the NFL would cover the lost ticket revenue. They didn't need to. Eighty thousand people packed the Cotton Bowl.
Between Detroit’s morning slot and Dallas’s late afternoon slot, the NFL effectively colonized the entire holiday.
The 1939-1944 Hiatus
It’s a common misconception that the streak is perfectly unbroken since 1934. That isn't true. The Lions didn't play on Thanksgiving from 1939 to 1944.
World War II obviously disrupted a lot of things, including professional sports rosters. But even before the US entered the war, there was "Franksgiving." President Franklin D. Roosevelt actually moved Thanksgiving forward a week in 1939 to boost retail sales during the Great Depression. This caused a massive scheduling headache. The Lions didn't return to their holiday tradition until 1945, once the world had settled down a bit. Since then, the streak has remained intact.
Why Doesn't the NFL Rotate the Hosting Teams?
Money. Purely money and tradition.
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The NFL is a league built on rituals. The Thanksgiving Classic is a "tentpole" event. While fans of teams like the Packers or the Eagles might complain that they never get to host a home game on the holiday, the ratings tell a different story. The Lions' game consistently draws between 25 and 30 million viewers, regardless of their record.
In 2023, the Lions-Packers Thanksgiving game averaged 33.7 million viewers. That is an insane number for a regular-season game. For context, most "big" Sunday Night Football games struggle to hit 20 million.
The networks (CBS and FOX) love the consistency. They know exactly what the production requirements are for Detroit and Dallas every year. It’s a turnkey operation. Moving the game to a different city every year would be a logistical nightmare for the broadcast crews who want to get home to their own families.
The "Third Game" Compromise
In 2006, the NFL finally threw a bone to the rest of the league. They added a third Thanksgiving game in the evening. This one has no fixed host. This was the league's way of quieting the owners who felt Detroit and Dallas had an unfair advantage (both in terms of revenue and the "mini-bye" week that follows a Thursday game).
If you play on Thursday, you get ten days off before your next game. Coaches love that. It’s a massive competitive edge for recovery. By adding the night game, the NFL allowed other teams to cycle through that advantage while keeping the Detroit and Dallas traditions for the "purists."
Myths and Misconceptions
People love to claim the Lions play on Thanksgiving because they are the "oldest" team or because of some legal contract. Neither is true.
- The Contract Myth: There is no legal "forever" contract that says Detroit must host. The NFL could take it away tomorrow if they really wanted to. They just don't because the backlash would be a PR disaster.
- The "Pity" Theory: Some fans joke the NFL gives Detroit this game because it’s the only time they’ll get a national audience. While the Lions have struggled historically, the tradition started when they were actually quite good (they won four championships in the 50s).
- The Travel Factor: Some think it’s about geography. It isn't. While Detroit is centrally located for some, it’s mostly just historical inertia.
The Cultural Impact on Detroit
For people in Michigan, this game is everything. It’s tied to the America’s Thanksgiving Parade, which rolls right past Ford Field. It’s a generational bond. You can find families in the suburbs of Detroit where three generations have attended the game together.
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Even during the winless 0-16 season in 2008, the stadium was full. There’s something uniquely "Detroit" about sticking with a tradition through the lean years. It's a badge of honor.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you’re planning on leaning into this tradition or even attending a game, here’s how to handle the "Lions on Thanksgiving" experience:
- Check the "Mini-Bye" Impact: When betting or playing fantasy football, remember that the Lions usually play much better on the Sunday after Thanksgiving because they've had extra rest.
- Early Kickoff Prep: The 12:30 PM ET kickoff is brutal for West Coast fans (9:30 AM). If you’re hosting a watch party out west, you're looking at "Breakfast Football." Plan your menu accordingly—breakfast burritos beat turkey at that hour.
- The "Home" Advantage: Despite their historical record, the Lions have a surprisingly decent winning percentage on Thanksgiving compared to their overall franchise average. The "dome" noise at Ford Field on the holiday is legendary.
- Tickets: If you want to attend, buy early. These games usually sell out months in advance because of the high number of out-of-town fans who travel home to Detroit for the holidays.
The next time someone at the table asks why do the lions always play on thanksgiving, you can tell them it wasn't about prestige. It was about a radio guy in 1934 who just wanted people to stop talking about the Tigers for five minutes. It worked.
The tradition is now so deeply baked into the NFL's DNA that it's hard to imagine the league without it. It’s a reminder that in sports, sometimes the most enduring traditions start as nothing more than a desperate marketing plan.
Key Takeaways for Your Thanksgiving Football Knowledge:
- 1934 was the inaugural year, started by George A. Richards.
- The game was a radio-led marketing stunt to build the Lions' fan base.
- The streak has only been broken once, during the WWII era.
- The Dallas Cowboys didn't join the tradition until 1966.
- The Prime Time game added in 2006 is the only one that rotates hosts.
Enjoy the game, pass the gravy, and remember that you’re watching a piece of sports history that’s nearly a century old.