By Louis Goldberg--
The Turkey Bowl has been an NFL tradition since 1966 and an even longer lasting high school tradition starting sometime in the 1800s. Xavier and Fordham Prep were the first schools to battle it out on what many consider a very important national holiday. Since then, high school and professional football rarely miss a Thanksgiving, making football as important to the holiday as turkey itself! Countless fans now turn on their TV to make sure they catch one of the three NFL games taking place on Thanksgiving.
The Dallas Cowboys have made their mark on this annual day of football, as they are the sole reason this tradition has stayed alive for so long. Only missing two years since ‘66, the Cowboys inspired other teams to take part in the Turkey Bowl as well. Remarkably, three games were nationally televised this past Thursday. The Chicago Bears played in Detroit, beating the Lions 23-16. The Saints hosted the Falcons, earning themselves a sweet hometown victory of 31-17. Finally, always a fun game to watch, the rivalry between the Cowboys and Washington Redskins took place in Texas as it usually does. Despite a fair fight early on by Washington’s offense, it would be the Cowboys who would end up on top, winning the final Turkey Bowl of the night by a score of 31-23.
The efforts to keep the Turkey Bowl alive are as successful as they are impressive, including major half-time performances by artists such as popular singer Meghan Trainer, who performed in Dallas on Thursday night. Despite White Plains High School no longer taking part in the Turkey Bowl against city rival Archbishop Stepinac, many other High Schools will continue to, as efforts by the NFL are inspiring many to take part in football festivities before the awaited Thanksgiving meal. A similar turnout for football is expected next year, as the Turkey Bowl increases in popularity as time continues.