Why do the Detroit Lions always play on thanksgiving not to mention still have a football team?

cuz some people like a team whether they're good or bad...its called stickin wit ur team...id know im a browns fan

The teams that have been hosting Thanksgiving games the Longest being the Lions can accommidate the game , they have been doing it for so long the coaches players and all staff , know they are playing on that day plus all the vending crews in and around the Stadiums .

To pick a new team or to swap every year would be a headache for other teams they are use to not playing on that day and to tell a team your Hosting a Thanksgivivng game would mean everyone that works at the stadium on game day is supposed to work now on Thanksgiving . when they are use to being home with their families now there is a chance they will lose their jobs because they cannot work on Thanksgiving .

Whereas Detroit has been doing it so long its just second nature . Granted they suck but it's tradition to watch the Lions play on Thanksgiving . If the lions were at least a .500 Team no one would be complaining .

The NFL is changing right before our eyes and not so much for the better with Goodell fining people for sneezing the wrong way i was 1 that grew up enjoying celebration . Now it's Score a TD kick then PAT so we can get as many commercials in as possible , players can not take their helmets off WHY . You can't hit the QB , WHY , he is the highest paid player on the field . , let's keep some of the tradition we have all come to enjoy .

I wonder the same thing. The Thanksgiving thing is more like a tradition that the NFL really doesn't want to break. We always see Detriot on thanksgiving. I mean look at the match up this year. I think the Titans just had one loss at the time, and the Lions had 0 wins. It was a dumb game to put on Thanksgiving. I think this year they are flex scheduling the thanksgiving games, to put more competitive games on for enjoyable football for Thanksgiving.

Now... I don't know why they still have a team or haven't relocated. I couldn't tell you the last tmie they went to the playoffs. Last time i remember was when they had the Great Barry Sanders.

They keep picking at the top of every single draft year in and year out, and still cannot put a winning product on the field.. Surprised they haven't gone bankrupt. If i lived in Detriot... I would have given up on them.

It's become something of a tradition for Dallas and Detroit to play on Thanksgiving. They've been doing it for as long as I can remember. That said, I'm not thrilled with the NFL's decision to add a 3rd game (for TNF) on Thanksgiving but I suppose it will become part of a tradition for a new generation of fans.

To answer your other questions, the Detroit franchise has a long history. The franchise originated in 1929 in Portsmouth, Ohio and moved to Detroit in 1934. They were a league power in the 1950s, winning 3 NFL titles during that decade, but have enjoyed sporadic success since that time.

Intense rivalries with the other NFC North teams are one reason the team remains in Detroit and despite being badly mismanaged in recent years the team is just a couple of strong drafts away from becoming a contender. If they focus on drafting a good young quarterback (similar to Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan) and add a couple of quality defenders the Lions could find themselves contending by 2010.

I know where your coming from. I think it's because the nfl wanted to play a game on thanksgiving a long time ago and no teams wanted to play. Then, the lions voluntarily played in the thanksgiving game. That's what I heard.

Oh, by the way, if they keep up the winless seasons they might just give up! I know I would!

tradition...(thanksgiving)

franchises are just about unmovable with Goodell in office.

Hey this is a great market with great fans that deserve better. problem is, the team takes a step forward, and then decides it's not good enough and takes 2 steps back.

look at it this way. on thanksgiving, you can watch the lions and be thankful that that isn't your team.

I read a while back that important people wanted it moved out of Detroit. At the owners meetings the owner of the Lions (I think Ford), keeps paying who he needs to, to keep the game in Detroit.

Edit>If Detroit's owner was smart, he would sell his rights to the highest bidder. That would help with the bailout!!!!

I went to one of their games, and the fans seemed like they go just to watch a game, they don't expect them to win, they just go. And they play on thanksgiving every year, because it's tradition!

I don't know.

I just know that I feel bad for Barry Sanders... imagine the shame! It's sort of like Jimmy Page being remembered for being the lead guitarist of Culture Club or some shlt.

How long have you watched football? Because this team was usually in the playoffs during the 90s and they have a bunch of Hall of Famers.

After this season there is nowhere to go but up.