I've heard rumblings that the NFL should no longer allow the Detroit Lions to have a monopoly on the Thanksgiving day football game and should rotate it amongst all the league's teams. As much as I realize how much of a drag it must be for the rest of the country to suffer through the Lions every Turkey Day, as a born and bred Michiganian, I'd really miss this tradition. From a purely objective standpoint, it makes perfect sense to rotate the game, but my heart says "No! Leave the poor Lions alone!"
Some of my most permanent Thanksgiving memories have to do with the Lions. There was the 1980 game against Chicago when the Bears' David Wiliams ran back the kickoff in overtime to beat the "Lie-downs." I can vividly remember sitting in front of my grandma's TV, the rest of the family watching with a combination of horror and humor, as the Lions let another one go in typically inimitable Lions fashion. There was the game against the Steelers a few years later in 1983 when The Lions crushed Pittsburgh, 45-3. I believe that was Terry Bradshaw's last season in the NFL. Then, of course, there was the infamous "coin-flip" game of 1998, when the Lions beat the Steelers 19-16.
If nothing else, the Lions give us guys something to talk about on Thanksgiving Day. If you can't find any other common ground, your average Michiganian male can commiserate about the Lions. We can talk about what a terrible owner William Clay Ford is, how the organization is poorly run and how the Lions consistently make horrible draft picks. Back when Barry Sanders was starring for the Lions, we could guess at how many yards he'd rush for, and marvel as the juked and squirmed his way around defenders.
So please NFL, let the Lions continue to play on Thanksgiving!
No comments:
Post a Comment