Why Do the Detroit Lions Always Play on Thanksgiving?

Why Do the Detroit Lions Always Play on Thanksgiving?

Why Do the Detroit Lions Always Play on Thanksgiving?

Why Do the Detroit Lions Always Play on Thanksgiving?

The turkey is in the oven, the parade is rolling down Woodward Avenue, and on TVs across America a familiar sight flickers to life: a sea of Honolulu blue kicking off just after lunchtime. For generations of fans, the Detroit Lions are as much a part of Thanksgiving as stuffing and pumpkin pie.

But every year, as Detroit trots out for another holiday showdown, the same question gets asked on couches and in group chats everywhere: Why is it always the Lions? Of all 32 NFL teams, how did this franchise, famous as much for heartbreak as for glory, end up with a permanent reservation on the nation’s football calendar?

The answer starts nearly a century ago with a struggling team, an empty stadium, and a radio mogul looking for a hit.

A team in search of a crowd

The Lions didn’t even start out as the Lions. They began life as the Portsmouth Spartans, a small-town NFL club from Ohio. In 1934, radio executive George A. Richards bought the franchise and moved it to Detroit, rebranding it as the Lions to complement baseball’s Tigers and to signal that his new team intended to rule the football “jungle.”

The move gave Detroit a pro football team, but it didn’t instantly deliver fans. The Lions played at the University of Detroit Stadium, where crowds were modest and gate receipts were disappointing. Richards, who owned powerful station WJR and had deep connections in the broadcasting world, knew he needed something dramatic to get attention.

If he couldn’t fill the stands the conventional way, maybe he could turn one regular-season game into a must-see event for the whole country.

The First Thanksgiving Game: A gimmick that worked

Richards’ big idea was simple but bold: host a special game on Thanksgiving Day, a time when most people were home, off work, and looking for entertainment.

To make it truly irresistible, he invited the Chicago Bears, then a powerhouse and the reigning NFL champions. His pitch to the league and to NBC’s radio network was that this wouldn’t just be another football game; it would be a national spectacle. NBC agreed to carry the broadcast across a sprawling network of stations, turning a local promotion into coast-to-coast programming.

On Thanksgiving Day 1934, the plan paid off. The 26,000-seat stadium was sold out, with thousands more reportedly turned away. Detroit lost a tight contest, 19-16, but it hardly mattered. The stands were full, the Lions were suddenly on the national radar, and the radio broadcast had introduced millions of listeners to Thanksgiving football in Detroit.

What started as a marketing gimmick had worked so well that it didn’t make sense to treat it as a one-time stunt. A tradition was quietly born.

From stunt to institution

After that first success, the Lions kept coming back to Thanksgiving. Year after year, they hosted holiday games, usually against big-name opponents, carving out a ritual of their own on the NFL calendar.

There were interruptions during World War II, but once play fully resumed, Detroit’s stranglehold on the Thanksgiving afternoon slot was firmly established. For a long time, the Lions were essentially the Thanksgiving game.

As technology evolved, the tradition only grew stronger. What had started on radio crossed over to television, giving the Lions a national audience that many other teams could only dream of.

By the time the Dallas Cowboys joined as a regular Thanksgiving host in the 1960s, Detroit’s place was too entrenched to question. Networks appreciated the reliable ratings. The league valued the continuity. Families wrapped their schedules around the midday kickoff. Whether the Lions were contenders or bottom-feeders, the game itself had become part of the holiday’s cadence.

Why do the Lions still play every year?

At this point, the answer is less about contracts or schedules and more about identity. The Lions’ Thanksgiving game is a blend of tradition, business, and civic pride. The NFL could, in theory, move another team into that midday slot, but it would be messing with nearly a century of continuity.

TV partners know that the Lions draw reliable holiday viewership, whether fans are tuning in to cheer for Detroit, root against them, or just let the game hum in the background while they make candied yams.

For Detroiters, especially, the game is woven into the fabric of the day. It pairs with the downtown parade, family gatherings, and the bittersweet hope that maybe this is the year.

The original stunt has long since faded into history, but the ritual it created remains. At some point, the question stopped being “Why do the Lions play on Thanksgiving?” and became “Would Thanksgiving feel right if they didn’t?”

Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day games results

Take a closer look at every Lions Thanksgiving Day game result, from 1934 onwards.

Year

Opponent

Result (score)

2024

Chicago Bears

W, 23–20

2023

Green Bay Packers

L, 29–22

2022

Buffalo Bills

L, 28–25

2021

Chicago Bears

L, 16–14

2020

Houston Texans

L, 41–25

2019

Chicago Bears

L, 24–20

2018

Chicago Bears

L, 23–16

2017

Minnesota Vikings

L, 30–23

2016

Minnesota Vikings

W, 16–13

2015

Philadelphia Eagles

W, 45–14

2014

Chicago Bears

W, 34–17

2013

Green Bay Packers

W, 40–10

2012

Houston Texans

L, 34–31 (OT)

2011

Green Bay Packers

L, 27–15

2010

New England Patriots

L, 45–24

2009

Green Bay Packers

L, 34–12

2008

Tennessee Titans

L, 47–10

2007

Green Bay Packers

L, 37–26

2006

Miami Dolphins

L, 27–10

2005

Atlanta Falcons

L, 27–7

2004

Indianapolis Colts

L, 41–9

2003

Green Bay Packers

W, 22–14

2002

New England Patriots

L, 20–12

2001

Green Bay Packers

L, 29–27

2000

New England Patriots

W, 34–9

1999

Chicago Bears

W, 21–17

1998

Pittsburgh Steelers

W, 19–16 (OT)

1997

Chicago Bears

W, 55–20

1996

Kansas City Chiefs

L, 28–24

1995

Minnesota Vikings

W, 44–38

1994

Buffalo Bills

W, 35–21

1993

Chicago Bears

L, 10–6

1992

Houston Oilers

L, 24–21

1991

Chicago Bears

W, 16–6

1990

Denver Broncos

W, 40–27

1989

Cleveland Browns

W, 13–10

1988

Minnesota Vikings

L, 23–0

1987

Kansas City Chiefs

L, 27–20

1986

Green Bay Packers

L, 44–40

1985

New York Jets

W, 31–20

1984

Green Bay Packers

W, 31–28

1983

Pittsburgh Steelers

W, 45–3

1982

New York Giants

L, 13–6

1981

Kansas City Chiefs

W, 27–10

1980

Chicago Bears

L, 23–17 (OT)

1979

Chicago Bears

W, 20–0

1978

Denver Broncos

W, 17–14

1977

Chicago Bears

L, 31–14

1976

Buffalo Bills

W, 27–14

1975

Los Angeles Rams

L, 20–0

1974

Denver Broncos

L, 31–27

1973

Washington Redskins

L, 20–0

1972

New York Jets

W, 37–20

1971

Kansas City Chiefs

W, 32–21

1970

Oakland Raiders

W, 28–14

1969

Minnesota Vikings

L, 27–0

1968

Philadelphia Eagles

L, 12–0

1967

Los Angeles Rams

L, 31–7

1966

San Francisco 49ers

L, 41–14

1965

Baltimore Colts

T, 24–24

1964

Chicago Bears

L, 27–24

1963

Green Bay Packers

T, 13–13

1962

Green Bay Packers

W, 26–14

1961

Green Bay Packers

L, 17–9

1960

Green Bay Packers

W, 23–10

1959

Green Bay Packers

L, 24–17

1958

Green Bay Packers

W, 24–14

1957

Green Bay Packers

W, 18–6

1956

Green Bay Packers

L, 24–20

1955

Green Bay Packers

W, 24–10

1954

Green Bay Packers

W, 28–24

1953

Green Bay Packers

W, 34–15

1952

Green Bay Packers

W, 48–24

1951

Green Bay Packers

W, 52–35

1950

New York Yanks

W, 49–14

1949

Chicago Bears

L, 28–7

1948

Chicago Cardinals

L, 28–14

1947

Chicago Bears

L, 34–14

1946

Boston Yanks

L, 34–10

1945

Cleveland Rams

L, 28–21

1938

Chicago Bears

W, 14–7

1937

Chicago Bears

L, 13–0

1936

Chicago Bears

W, 13–7

1935

Chicago Bears

W, 14–2

1934

Chicago Bears

L, 19–16

Which teams have faced the Lions most on Thanksgiving?

Although the Lions faced the Bears first, they've gone toe-to-toe with the Packers the most. Detroit holds a respectable 12-9-1 record against Green Bay on Turkey Day.

Dan Campbell & Co. hope to pad that record on Thursday when the two teams renew their decades-long rivalry. The Lions are narrowly favored by 2.5-points at home, with the game total set at 48.5.

Read our Packers vs. Lions predictions ahead of kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET.

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The Lions and Thanksgiving are inseparable

When Thanksgiving rolls around and the Lions appear on your screen, you’re not just watching another regular-season game. You’re tuning into an 80-plus-year story that began as a desperate promotion and grew into a defining piece of American sports culture.

The Lions play on Thanksgiving because, somewhere along the way, the holiday and the team became inseparable.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here