Every year since 1934, the Detroit Lions have taken the field for a Thanksgiving game, no matter how bad their record has been.

When this year’s 7-3 squad squares off against the undefeated Green Bay Packers, you might find yourself wondering why the Lions get the plum gig of playing a nationally televised game every Turkey Day.

So, what’s the origin of Detroit’s most beloved football tradition this side of the old “Fire Millen!” chants?

And what about the other Thanksgiving NFL stalwart, the Dallas Cowboys?

It all goes back to when the Lions were still a relatively young franchise. The team started in 1929 in Portsmouth, Ohio, as the Spartans. Portsmouth, while surely a lovely town, wasn’t quite big enough to support a pro team in the young NFL. Detroit radio station owner George A.

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