Why the Detroit Lions Still Deserve to Have Thanksgiving Day Classic

Despite annual calls for the Lions to be taken off the schedule on Thanksgiving, Dan Campbell explains why the Lions are a staple of the national holiday.

Every year, there are a couple of calls from national sports reporters and television hosts who do not understand the Detroit Lions' Thanksgiving Day tradition.

This year, it was Bill Maher, host of "Real Time with Bill Maher", who made the call for the National Football League to yank the game away from a national television audience.

"Let's end the tradition where one of the football teams on Thanksgiving Day has to be the Detroit Lions, for a very important reason -- pretending that this is a must-see game is key to how we avoid talking to our families for three hours," Maher said on his latest episode.

The Lions franchise have played at home on Thanksgiving every year since 1934.

There was a period from 1939-44 where the game was paused due to World War II.

During his media session with reporters on Tuesday, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell was asked why the Lions still deserve to play annually on Thanksgiving.

"To me, it's special, because I remember watching the Lions growing up and it was part of Thanksgiving. That's how I think of it," Campbell said. "Win, lose or draw, I was like, 'Hey, the Lions are part of Thanksgiving, just like the Cowboys are.' I think this city deserves it. In the simplest form, to your question -- it's easy to say, 'Well, they may not win a game, so you shouldn't have it anymore.' To me, well, I'm selfish, man. It should stay here. I'm part of the Lions, I'm a head coach, so there. We'll make it worth it."

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