Be Honest: It’s Time For The Lions To Stop Playing On Thanksgiving

The Detroit Lions have played on Thanksgiving since 1934, But is it time for that tradition to end?

According to comedian, actor, political commentator, and television host Bill Maher, yes it is.

On his November 19th episode of Real Time with Bill Maher during a segment called 'New Rules" Maher said:

"Let's end the tradition where one of the football teams on Thanksgiving day has to be the Detroit Lions for a very important reason. Pretending that this is a must-see game is key to how we avoid talking to our families for three hours. It's hard to tell uncle Phil you know, I'd love to learn more about how the Rothschilds are microchipping Trump supporters but the Lions are on. I mean he's gullible but he's not that gullible."

Now I've been a die-hard Lions fan since I was a kid. I've stuck by them week after week and season after season even though I know they'll find a way to let me down and snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

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I would be devastated to see the Lions taken off the Thanksgiving Day game because it's the only tradition I've ever known, but I have to admit Maher brings up an interesting point. The Detroit Lions are a below .500 team on Thanksgiving Day with an overall record of 37-42-2 according to WDIV 4

So why do the Detroit Lions play on Thanksgiving?

It all started when the Detroit Lions were actually the Portsmouth Spartans in 1929.
In 1934, owner George Richards bought the team and moved it to Detroit.

The Lions, at that time, were looking for new ways to draw fans. As a marketing idea, Richards convinced NBC to broadcast a Thanksgiving game on 94 stations across the country.

That idea worked and Detroit Lions sold out their first Thanksgiving Day game (26,000 seats), and even though they lost to the Bears, a new tradition was born.

It seems like we're more divided than ever, but I think a majority of Michiganders would agree you can't mess with tradition and the Detroit Lions, for better or worse, belong on the Thanksgiving day game schedule.