With Thanksgiving Comes Debate For NFL To Boot Lions From Holiday Game

With the Detroit Lions mired in yet another dismal season, their appearance Thursday in the annual Thanksgiving game will again spark debate. The Lions' only national TV appearance in recent years has come on Thanksgiving Day and the team is hosting its 71st annual holiday game this season. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said in recent years that the league has no immediate plans to strip the Lions or the Dallas Cowboys of their place as hosts of two of the three Thanksgiving games. But whispers have persisted in some NFL circles that other teams would like the chance to host the national TV showcase. And NFL Network host Rich Eisen said on the Dan Patrick show Wednesday that he's heard from some in the league who want on-field performance to play a role in who hosts the holiday games. "I have spoken to some executives who would love relegation," he said. "...You would have to have two or three years above .500."

Source: USAToday

 

seriously, who doesn't look forward to another thankgiving where we get to watch a pathetic lions team play.

 

The defending Super Bowl champions should also play in the Thanksgiving game as well as the Thursday night season opener.

 

Atleast the Lions are more fun to watch now then in the past few years. Moreso if Stafford and Best were healthy.

 

this.



When they had Joey harrington I couldn't watch them without laughing.

 

Agreed.

 

why should the t-giving games be any different than the crap games CBS and FOX decide to run as 'national' games every Sunday? Free games = Crap games

As a matter of fact, I don't get to watch as much football on t-giving day as I normally do during the season because of traveling, family obligations, etc on the holidays so it would actually bother me more if I were missing important games.

Keep the Lions.

 

i have always said these games should be match-ups of the lions and cowboys taking on a divisonal rival.

 

Stop freaking with tradition, NFL.

 

i love watching suh and calvin johnson......i wish stafford was healthy though, lions are gonna be good, they are building a sick roster

 

That's how I feel too.

 

I feel the same. I always have to work thanksgiving so I can have xmas off. I'm glad the games usually suck

 

I say keep it, it's just tradition.

 

Lions not playing on Thanksgiving, is like X-mas w/o Santa

 

We travel every year but we make sure that the games are on and that anyone or everyone can watch it if they want and you know where Steve and I are when the games are on, it's tradition all right, stop it NFL you're over thinking the freaking wheel.

 

There's so little tradition in the NFL, keep something. As stated before, at least the Lions are somewhat exciting to watch, even with Shaun Hill