Like most Detroiters, Dominic Raiola has plans Thursday afternoon: “I’ll be home. I’ll be locked in.” The Lions play their annual Thanksgiving Day game—this year, against the Vikings—in the closest thing the NFL has to a college tradition. It’s not built on a history of winning. It’s not a marketing tool for the league. It’s a ritual. It’s what Detroiters have always done, going back to World War II.
Raiola, a Lions center from 2001 to 2014, understands. He hopes the current players understand, too. The Lions play so many national TV games these days, and the league has Thursday games every week now.