Things Can't Get Any Worse

The Big 3 are in turmoil, the worst unemployment rates in the country, and the worst economy in the country. Michigan has had it rough for a while now. And to top everything off, their football team is 0-12 and is the laughing stock of the National Football League. But, I'm not going to talk about the team at all. My focus is on the fans of the NFL. I visited ESPN.com yesterday and was absolutely sickened by what the daily poll was for the day. The question read: Should the NFL take the annual Thanksgiving game away from the Lions? And the thing that made me even madder was that over 60% of people said yes. What makes it so wrong to see the Lions on Thanksgiving? Yes they are a bad team, I will give you that. But just to say they shouldn't be allowed to play is wrong. Here' a history lesson for all of you naysayers.

In 1934, George Richards, the Lions first owner, decided to take a risk and schedule the biggest game of the year for the team on a Thanksgiving day. When the day of the game arrived, the Detroit Lions (10-1) hosted the undefeated Chicago Bears (11-0). The risk paid off for Richards as 26,000 bought tickets to watch the game on the holiday. It has since been a tradition for Detroit.

So I ask, why take a tradition away from a team, city, fan base, and the NFL just because the team isn't good? And why until now do you want this change? The Thanksgiving game in Detroit has sold out every year since 1992. The team's record in that span? 94-167 (.563) and 0-5 in the playoffs in the same span. So just because they are 0-12 this year they deserve to get the boot? The bottom line is that NFL cannot take this tradition away from this city. It is the last thing they can hold on to and call their own. It was the 75th year of the Lions on Thanksgiving day this year, let's hope we see 76 next year.