Black Friday Live Coverage Game Break: NFL Football

Excuse me for a moment while I cover a Thanksgiving branding subject which I care much more deeply about than any retail brand woe: NFL Football.

For decades, Thanksgiving and football have combined for the "Thanksgiving Classic," a special set of games that occur throughout the Thursday holiday. Traditionally, the two games have been played by the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys. (Recently, a third game has been added to beef up the NFL's own network, the creatively-named "NFL Network.") The Lions, by some measure, have been playing the holiday game for 70-pus year. The Cowboys for over 50.

But prior to the Cowboys/Raders afternoon game, the CBS "NFL Today" pre-game show featured a fan text-in vote to determine "Should the NFL rotate the Thanksgiving Day Game?" The (statistically meaningless) result was 53% to 47% in favor of "yes."

First of all, the NFL already rotates the new third game. Furthermore, sympathy to the fervent Buccaneer and Texan and Brown and Redskin fans who would love to fight to stay awake/sober on Thanksgiving to watch their respective teams lose to whomever they faced, but the NFL is all about the past. Does Terry Bradshaw's 72-point IQ make him a terrible pre-show analyst? Of course. Is he an NFL legend and consequently lovable? Without doubt.

Football fans are more invested in tradition than any other sports fan (including the self-absorbed Yankees and Sox fans). Tradition is more important than any individual season or game. That's why it's called the Lombardi Trophy, so even modern champions don't forget the sport's roots.

However, one tradition I am willing to sacrifice? Joe Buck announcing any of of the Thanksgiving games.

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