As another Thanksgiving approaches, it is time to pull out some annual traditions. Get ready to sit down for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, stuff yourself with tons of yummy food, and pull out the old pigskin to toss around. If you are not familiar with the last tradition mentioned, that is okay. As one of America’s favorite pastimes, it has found its way into Thanksgiving tradition as both something to play as a family or with friends or watch on TV. I’m referring to football, a sport that originated in the United States and has only grown in popularity.
The origin of football on Thanksgiving dates back to 1934, when the Detroit Lions played their first season in Detroit against the Chicago Bears. The game was to be a major game in the fight to clinch the NFL Western Division crown. According to the Pro-Football Hall of Fame, “the 26,000 tickets for the Turkey Day clash in the University of Detroit Stadium, were sold out two weeks in advance of the game,” but “it was estimated that another 25,000 would have attended had there been seats available.” The Lions would lose the 1934 Thanksgiving game, though the following year, they would reverse the results and defeat the Bears. Thus the tradition of Thanksgiving NFL football in Detroit began and the popularity spread. Currently, there are three games played on Thanksgiving: one hosted by the Detroit Lions, one hosted by the Dallas Cowboys, and one with no fixed teams.
This Thanksgiving, if you want to participate in some football talk but would not be able to tell a flea flicker from a fly swatter, there are a few quick tips you can take to sound like you know what you are talking about and blend in:
- Pick a Team
The most important aspect of football is that there are two competing teams for each game with each team consisting of an offense, defense, and special teams. Many football fans generally have one specific team that they root for throughout a season. You could pick this team through multiple methods. A common one is that it is your local team. For instance, if you live in South Jersey near Philadelphia, that team would be the Philadelphia Eagles, or if you live in North Jersey near New York, that team would be the New York Giants. You can also pick a team for other reasons; for example, if you’ve heard of a certain player, you might just root for his team as a whole. If you are a Taylor Swift fan and now know Travis Kelce, this might be the case.
- Cheering Chameleon
When watching a game, there are various moments throughout that could incite a wild celebration while others could bring on some booing. Often, these moments are not apparent to someone fresh to watching football and can frequently be missed or misinterpreted. When in doubt, just look around. If you see others reacting a certain way to a play or a call, it may be best to match their spirit at that moment as something good or bad for the team happens. Don’t overdo it though or you might get some strange looks; some plays are not as impactful as others and do not require as much of a reaction.
- Getting Annoyed at the Refs
If you want to earn some extra points, there is always one simple method. If a referee makes a call against your team that is terrible, make it known to others that you think that. Saying something like “Come on ref” or “the [insert opposing team name] must have paid the refs,” can show how you feel. Even if you think the call against your team was fair, you can still say these things.
- The Game Winner/Loser
In the end, there can only be one victor. If in the end, your team has come out on top, it is time to celebrate. Go crazy. High-five, hug the others or do anything that shows that this win has made your day. If your team is on the other side and has lost, it’s time to show that too. You can refer to tip three and blame the refs again, or you just act in any way annoyed at the results so that people believe the result has ruined your day. After really trying to get into the game and understand it, you might actually find that the result has affected you.
