The Dallas Cowboys Should Not Play Ever Thanksgiving

The Dallas Cowboys have played a football game every Thanksgiving since 1966, with the exception of 1975 and 1977. George A. Richards, a previous owner of the Detroit Lions, originated the idea of hosting football games on Thanksgiving in 1934. Richards proposed the idea to draw more fans to the league and since then, the Lions have played a football game every Thanksgiving. As the Lions needed opponents in this yearly game, the Cowboys’ general manager, Tex Schramm, volunteered the team to play every year. After realizing that the three Thanksgiving football games were some of America’s most-watched games, Schramm seized the opportunity to improve his team’s reputation. However, there are several reasons why the Dallas Cowboys should not play every Thanksgiving. 

Image Credits: Dallas Morning News photo by Tim Fox, Staff Photographer

First, this tradition started more than six decades ago, meaning it shouldn’t apply now or even be irrelevant. Schramm, who decided to play the team every year, has not been affiliated with the team since 1988, about 35 years ago. Since the deal was signed, the framework of the league has changed and there is a greater need for other teams to be in the spotlight. In the 1966-1967 football season, there were only 15 teams in the entire NFL. Now, with 32 teams, the NFL has more than doubled. Since there are now more teams that could play on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys no longer need to play every year. Moreover, other teams have fewer opportunities to get the same national recognition as the Cowboys. 

Secondly, consider the Cowboys themselves. Players like Zack Martin, Dak Prescott, Demarcus Lawrence, and more have been on the team for over five years. During that time, those players could not spend Thanksgiving with their immediate family—instead, they were occupied the whole day with a football game. The players also couldn’t just skip a game, as that would result in hefty fines and the risk of being cut from the team. If the Cowboys didn’t play every Thanksgiving, players could spend Thanksgiving with their families. This is especially important because football players rarely have time to spend with their families during the football season, as they have games once a week, which requires lots of travel. Thus, the holidays are a crucial time for players to reconnect with their families.

Lastly, changing who plays every Thanksgiving will allow football fans to see new teams during the prime game at 4:30 pm. Every year, hundreds of families around the US gather in front of the TV to watch football. If the Cowboys did not play every Thanksgiving, fans could watch a greater variety of teams. Many football fans want the experience of going to their home stadium and celebrating Thanksgiving among other fans and their favorite team. Unfortunately, they have to wait years and years for this opportunity, so many fans have never seen their team play on Thanksgiving. For example, the last time the New York Jets played on Thanksgiving was in 2012 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, and Cincinnati Bengals have all played only one Thanksgiving game. While some teams, like the Jacksonville Jaguars, have never played on Thanksgiving, Cowboys fans get to see their team play every year. Not only do the Cowboys play every year, but this game is also always a home game, so all of Dallas comes out to see them play while the opposing team’s fans don’t because of a tradition that was created six decades ago. Additionally, since the Lions also play at home every year, only one other team gets to play a home game during Thanksgiving.

Football fans deserve the fun and new experience on Thanksgiving of seeing their own team play! Instead of having the Dallas Cowboys play every year on Thanksgiving, a better option would be to have the teams change every year. This would enhance the football experience for the fans as there would be more opportunities to attend games on holidays and every team would have a fair chance to experience the incredible high that comes with playing in front of millions on one of the biggest football days of the season.