Catching Dallas Play on Thanksgiving Is So Common For This Reason

Celebrating Thanksgiving isn’t just about enjoying turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie for plenty of people out there; this is a holiday that’s also dedicated to the sport of football. Football is considered one of the most American sports in existence, with millions of people willing to take time out of their schedules in order to enjoy various games.

While celebrating a wonderful day like Thanksgiving, it’s pretty common for football lovers to sit together in front of their TVs to watch an exciting game together. Watching football while surrounded by friends, family, and loved ones is, for some, an ideal scenario. Interestingly enough, the Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving.

Here’s why:

The simple answer for why the Dallas Cowboys always play a game on Thanksgiving is the fact that they started their very own tradition of playing Thanksgiving football back in 1966. Tex Schramm, the team's former general manager, devised this plan so his team would be able to gain more publicity.

Fortunately for him, his plan worked. Since this tradition has gone on for so many years in a row, it feels like it’s been this way forever. In reality, it’s only been this way for about five and a half decades. The Dallas Cowboys are based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and are considered part of the NFL‘s East division. Their current head coach, Mike McCarthy, does his best to lead his team to victory.

It simply isn’t the case that the Dallas Cowboys play the game they love on Thanksgiving every year alone. They typically play against the Detroit Lions annually. The Lions started playing on Thanksgiving day in 1934 which is significantly longer than the Cowboys! Regardless of when these teams got started, they’ve helped contribute to a more enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday over the years because they’re willing to put on great games, playing against each other for their fans.

For many years, the Dallas Cowboys were considered “America’s team" in the football community. Although they’ve no longer maintained that reputation, many football lovers suspect they’ll be the ones to win the holiday game this year. The Detroit Lions, on the other hand, have maintained a highly devoted fan base regardless of their track record. They are notoriously known for not winning too many games, but their fans don’t seem to care about that in the slightest.

This year, even though the Cowboys will be playing, they won’t be playing against the Lions! 2021's game will feature the Cowboys against the Las Vegas Raiders instead. The Raiders relocated from the bay area of California to the Vegas metropolitan area with Rich Bisaccia as their current head coach. They’ve been playing and practicing at the Allegiant Stadium since relocating to the area. It’s projected to be a super intense and engaging football game in comparison to previous years.