As I was getting ready to sit on the couch this past Thanksgiving, I was excited to watch 10-straight hours of football — as I usually do every year. I was truly looking forward to eating some turkey and stuffing, drinking a couple beverages and drifting in and out of sleep as the NFL played on the TV.
Too bad the games sucked. And — news flash — they suck every year.
It seems like each year, Americans get geared up for what are the most-watched games of the regular season, but most times the matchups are just plain bad — and it’s the NFL’s fault.
The Detroit Lions (since 1934) and Dallas Cowboys (since 1966) are Thanksgiving mainstays every year, matching up against a divisional opponent, and then a third game is played in primetime with rotating teams.
Because the NFL restricts itself to these two teams, it really hurts the overall product on the biggest viewing day of the regular season. The day should be a showcase of the elite teams in the NFL like the Kansas City Chiefs or the Philadelphia Eagles — not a slugfest between two below-average teams.
I didn’t need a plate full of turkey to fall asleep for the Drew Lock vs. Cooper Rush showdown.
But you know who gets their marquee day right? The NBA on Christmas Day.
Each Christmas, the NBA runs five games with the best-of-the-best facing off for a day of playoff-caliber basketball. While many of the historic franchises like the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers find themselves scheduled on the big day, it is never guaranteed.
Only the cream of the crop plays on Christmas, if you are an elite NBA player and aren’t on a good team, you probably aren’t getting a slot. Playing on Christmas is an honor and a sign of respect that these teams are the best the league has to offer.
It’s something the NFL should learn from.
It’s OK to stray away from tradition and move away from these divisional matchups that always involve the Lions and Cowboys. It takes away the opportunity to show off the best product possible with a rotating cast of characters.
I know I would much rather watch Patrick Mahomes battle Josh Allen than I would the horrible product that the league showed off last week. It should be a simple solution, but the league still seems to think the Cowboys give off the same mystique they did in the 90s.
Meanwhile, the NBA continues to showcase its best players and the best matchups. I remember as a kid watching LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers facing Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in an NBA Finals rematch. You don’t get Super Bowl rematches on Thanksgiving. Instead, you get the lowly Chicago Bears who were forced to fire their coach following their Turkey Day game.
Last year, the NBA delivered with the Celtics going against the Lakers in LA. Boston sporting a red and green combo against the vintage Laker white and gold was a classic matchup that felt worthy of its primetime position.
I don’t even think I could recall many awesome Thanksgiving games besides the ones the New England Patriots played in (long live the butt fumble) and the Randy Moss game. It just bewilders me that the NFL won’t get out of its own way and put the games on that everyone wants to see.
The league constantly flexes games out of primetime slots like Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football to deliver the best matchup it can each week — why don’t they do it for Thanksgiving?
Last weekend alone, the Eagles played the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills played the San Francisco 49ers. These games were both much more intriguing matchups that I would’ve loved to watch. Not to mention the level of play would have been much higher.
So, this Christmas after the presents are opened, I know I’ll have a day chock-full of elite matchups like the Celtics against the 76ers and the Lakers vs. Warriors to look forward to.
It’s time for the NFL to move away from Thanksgiving tradition because if there is anything worse than dry turkey — it’s bad football.
