Rough day to be a Lions or Cowboys fan

For Thanksgiving this year we’re eating a modest meal of chicken with good sides, we will be watching the entire Toy Story franchise on Blu-Ray. Last year’s duck was awesome but expensive. Odd for a bird Americans rarely eat. I would think it was relatively affordable or cheap because they’re a nuisance at parks and golf courses.

Meanwhile, somebody at work asked why the Lions and Cowboys always get to play on Thanksgiving. It’s a logical question to ask today. The Lions have been losers for years and the Cowboys are terrible this season (the owner already fired the coach and threw in the towel with his statement about watching the Super Bowl in Vegas). Shouldn’t the NFL award winners and not back a pair of spoilers? In some ways, the Cowboys game could be seen as an opportunity for the Saints.

Before the proliferation of cable/satellite, these two teams were given lucrative gigs. I remember in the Seventies there was little else to watch so the adults tolerated watching those *&$%! Cowboys or Lions; most of the fans I grew up with suffered for the Bears, Cardinals or Packers. So my immediate guess was, “it’s tradition and the Cowboys have clout through their owner. Look at the NFL network.” Doesn’t hold up for the Lions.

Leave it to Mental Floss to provide a reasonable explanation. They beat Wikipedia since any idiot can write/edit there and start an online squabble, especially about history or politics.

This Thanksgiving though, I’m grateful for Netflix streaming giving me a choice over a pair of boring football games, a dull parade and sappy specials starring entertainers only my grandparents recognize.

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