Detroit radio station owner George A. Richards bought the Spartans and moved the team to Detroit in Although Richards's new squad was a solid team, they were playing second fiddle in Detroit to the Hank Greenberg-led Tigers, who had gone to win the American League Pennant.
In the early weeks of the season, the biggest crowd the Lions could draw for a game was a relatively paltry 15, Desperate for a marketing trick to get Detroit excited about its fledgling football franchise, Richards hit on the idea of playing a game on Thanksgiving.
Since Richards's WJR was one of the bigger radio stations in the country, he had considerable clout with his network and convinced NBC to broadcast a Thanksgiving game on 94 stations nationwide. The move worked brilliantly. The Lions not only sold out their 26,seat stadium, they also had to turn fans away at the gate.
He's been with WDIV since Why do the Detroit Lions always play on Thanksgiving? Published: November 25, am. About the Author:. If it seems like the Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving, well, that's because they do. The Cowboys' annual tradition of playing on the American holiday, which began in , originated as something of a publicity stunt for America's Team.
Following the Lions' lead from decades earlier, the concept became an immediate success and the Cowboys have been a Turkey Day fixture ever since, with a few exceptions. Here's a brief history lesson, plus a full list of past games and how to watch the version while stuffing your face with turkey and pie. The Cowboys' tradition of playing on Thanksgiving started when then-general manager Tex Schramm signed up for the holiday game in Schramm sought more national publicity and saw Thanksgiving as a way to boost national attention from football fans in and out of Dallas.
The NFL was worried about attendance for the game because the Cowboys had been struggling under head coach Tom Landry. Just in case no one showed up, the NFL guaranteed the Cowboys a certain gate revenue. It turned out the NFL had nothing to worry about. The Cowboys broke their franchise attendance record as 80, fans watched the team beat the Browns at the Cotton Bowl. Since the beginning of time, okay maybe not that long ago, but since very early on in National Football League history, fans have been able to watch the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.
The Lions began the tradition in when the owner George A. Richards wanted to attract more fans. The marketing wizard's plan worked and the team who usually lost fans to the more popular Detroit Tigers sold out their stadium and then some. The team had to turn people away at the gates because so many people showed up to watch their Lions play.
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