This past August, the Detroit Lions held an open practice session at Ford Field and 15,000 people showed up. This happened despite the team's historic 0-16 record last year. And it happened despite the fact that the practice required a two-hour wait in a driving rain.
The Lions, of course, are terrible. They have won only two games this year after playing winless last year. Still, I have watched every game in those two seasons. That has taken some real effort, given this season's blackouts. Sometimes, I find a feed on the internet. At other times, I have to find a scratchy audio feed on the radio.
But I am a Michigander. And I am a Lions fan. And today's Thanksgiving Day game is a local tradition that dates back to at least the 1920s.
Prior to the existence of the Detroit Lions, several Detroit-area high school and college teams played games on Thanksgiving. These games were well attended by thousands and became a fixture on the local sporting scene.
As the NFL developed, three now-defunct NFL teams in Detroit carried on the tradition. The Detroit Heralds lost to the Dayton Triangles on Thanksgiving Day in 1920. The Detroit (NFL) Tigers defeated the Chicago Staleys in 1921. The Detroit Panthers and the Detroit Wolverines continued to play semi-regular Thanksgiving Day games through the end of the 20s.
The Detroit Lions came into existence in 1934 after the Portsmouth Spartans moved north. Immediately, the Detroit Lions began playing a game each year on Thanksgiving.
With the exception of the WWII years, the Lions have played on Thanksgiving Day ever since. And, given that the nation only decided to observe Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November in 1940, one can make the argument that the Lions' tradition dates back to before the modern incarnation of the holiday itself.
For me, personally, the Thanksgiving Day game has had special meaning.
My wife grew up on a dairy farm in Kewaunee, WI. That's about an hour from Green Bay. I grew up just south of Detroit. We met online, dated long-distance and finally took the plunge in 2005. On Thanksgiving, we are either in Detroit with its dedicated Lions fans or we are in the vicinity of Green Bay with lots of Packers fans.
Given the fact that Green Bay has been a traditional Thanksgiving Day opponent for the Detroit Lions, I have spent several holidays now with a Lions cap in the middle of a Packer-backing dinner table. And my wife is about to experience the converse here in Michigan today.
We are expecting our first child this December and that child will have a choice: Lions Fan or Packer Backer? Needless to say, the nursury will have some dramatic Honolulu blue and silver accents. Okay, Okay, there will be some green and gold [It looks like maize to me]. And I look forward to watching the Lions play on Thanksgiving with my yet-to-be-named son.
There has been talk by some NFL fans and NFL executives of possibly removing the Thanksgiving Day game from Detroit. This would be unfortunate. It has meant a lot to Michigan through the years. The game also serves as a centerpiece for Thanksgiving festivities in Downtown Detroit. The city hosts a big parade and a popular fun run. Removal of the game would put a damper on a nice community event.
And I think that Lions fans have shown a lot of three values that are increasingly necessary in recession-hammered America: loyalty, dedication and persistance. We remain Lions fans because that is what we are.
Now, if you will indulge me:
"Go Lions!"