Something Worth Watching

On Thursday, before Cincinnati’s game against the Jets on Thanksgiving Day, CBS Sports aired this video. It really puts a lot into perspective.

Enjoy, and Happy Thanksgiving from UDU.

Hey NFL…

Thanks for Nothing

by Matt Shanley

Thanksgiving is a day to be grateful. It’s too bad the National Football League doesn’t provide us with any reasons for which to give thanks.

Professional Football has been putting a damper on November’s fourth Thursday for over eighty years. G.A. Richards, the first owner of the league’s Detroit Lions (then the Detroit Heralds), came up with the idea of playing football on Thanksgiving as sort of a gimmick in hopes of selling tickets. Now, high school and college rivalries alike are celebrated on this day, and in addition, select pro teams compete as well.

Unfortunately, watching the Lions on Thanksgiving has become a tradition of sorts, and it seems as though, no matter how abysmal the team may be, fans are stuck watching them every year for the foreseeable future. Last season, the viewing public was subjected to watching the Lions take on the then-undefeated Tennessee Titans; a game that ended with a score of 47-10 in favor of the Titans. This season, the team will be playing a much-lesser Green Bay Packer team, who, in spite of their struggles, are still projected to win the game by more than two touchdowns.

The Dallas Cowboys joined in on the festivities beginning in 1966, and though they usually field a decent team, it seems as though their opponents are always below average clubs. Last season, the Cowboys played the dreadful Seattle Seahawks and won in a 34-9 rout. This year, they take on the Oakland Raiders, who, after many struggles, have become a mere afterthought throughout the National Football League.

In 2006, the NFL Network was formed and an extra game was scheduled every Thanksgiving. Though this seemed like a good idea at the time, still, no Thanksgiving game televised on this channel has resulted with a difference of less than two scores.

So here’s our plea to you, Mr. Goodell: allow your league’s fans reasons to give thanks for football.

Scrap the pre-determined Lions game. Forget the programmed appearance by the Cowboys. Why not schedule stimulating games with exciting teams to fill Thanksgiving Day’s timeslots? The Colts and Patriots squared up two weeks ago on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Why can’t that game be pushed back two weeks? It seems like a simple enough procedure, no?

So let’s give thanks…just not for football.