Why Do We Have Sports on Holidays?

By Vivian El-Salawy on November 16, 2017

Whether it is Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, or New Year’s Eve, sports have pried their way into the traditions of various holidays. Even outside of the holiday season, baseball fans look forward to watching their favorite baseball team play on the Fourth of July.

While many families come together to eat good food, catch up on their lives, and watch these teams, whether their houses stand united or divided, there is some debate circulating whether teams should partake in games throughout the holiday season. Having said that, why do we have sports on holidays?

Surprisingly enough, this tradition has been around for more years than you would think. It may seem as though holiday games are a modern tradition, but according to History, the University of Detroit Stadium hosted the first broadcasted Thanksgiving Day football game in 1934 where the Detroit Lions played the Chicago Bears. This was the beginning of a new tradition, and ever since, Thanksgiving became the traditional date for football.

However,  in approaching holiday sports, viewers must consider the fact that having games on holidays does not only affect the team. For instance, consider a college bowl game that falls on Christmas Day. While the players on the football team will not be spending Christmas with their families, neither will the athletic staff, the workers of the event, those covering the event, or the entertainers for the event, such as cheerleaders, dancers, marching bands, and so on. A football game consists of much more than just the players on the field; it is a marvelous spectacle that is put on by the collaboration of many talented and hardworking individuals. It truly does affect a larger percentage than some may consider at face value.

Players and others involved in the realm of athletics, from production and entertainment to concessions and security, likely go into their jobs being fully aware of what is expected of them in terms of their attendance on holidays. However, there must be some sense of internal conflict about the fact that they are to work on holidays such as Christmas.

Image via CNN

Christopher Gasper wrote a piece regarding his opinion on participation in athletic events on holidays in an article for the Boston Globe:

“Christmas should be a silent day and night on the sports scene. All scoreboards should be calm and none of them should be bright. Athletes should be able to rest up and enjoy time with their loved ones in heavenly peace. Sports are a gift that keeps on giving, but Christmas should not be a day when someone is ignoring a family member to check their fantasy team.”

Here, Gasper touches on the fact that not only does it affect those directly involved in the athletic events and their families, but also the dynamic of families that are getting to spend their holidays at home. Perhaps the holidays should be a time to unplug from the rest of the world and to spend quality time with your closest family and friends. There is plenty of time throughout the rest of the year to get one’s fair share of sports.

Given the positions of those working events, the pros must outweigh the cons for them to agree to participate given the loss of time with their families; however one must also consider the fact that not everybody feels negatively about participating in sports throughout the holiday season.

For some, perhaps the time with their families will be made up on a different day, or they are relying on these games and justifying their participation in these events to help provide for their families. Others involved in athletics may not have families to come home to for the holidays, or maybe consider what their involvement in the athletic events do for families that are at home watching their favorite team beat their rivals on the best day of the year.

New England Patriots Vs. New York Jets At Metlife Stadium
Image via Tito

In many ways, sports have become an integral part of the holiday tradition. Many have grown up eating their grandmother’s favorite cookies around the holiday season, huddled up with the entirety of their family in the living room, watching closely as their favorite team scores yet another touchdown. There is a unified nostalgia to this aspect of the holidays, in opening your presents on Christmas Day and wearing your brand-new socks with your favorite team’s logo on them as you watch them play a game.

“I have many fond memories regarding football’s role within our family’s Thanksgiving tradition, like helping my mom cook in the kitchen as the game starts and it lasting through dinner and into dessert as we’re talking and laughing together,” says Brian Gamel, an avid football fan, but also a production manager in the entertainment industry. “It’s become a fun tradition, but I still feel terrible for the players and people in the entertainment industry having to work that night. As someone who works in theatre, I understand what it is like to have to go in on a day that is meant to be spent with family.”

Image via Print Your Brackets

This year’s holiday features a tripleheader of games:

•Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions

•Los Angeles Chargers @ Dallas Cowboys

•New York Giants @ Washington Redskins

Additionally, rivalry weekends for college football games fall on the weekend after Thanksgiving as well. College football fans can enjoy their favorite football showdowns before having to return to their standard work and school schedules.

All in all, with the popularity of sports such as football, basketball, and baseball and the large role that these industries play in terms of entertainment and economics, it is unlikely that any changes will be made to athletic events taking place on holidays. Regardless of whether or not you love to watch sports, the reality is that these events have engrained themselves in the tradition of the holidays in many American households. It will be interesting to see if these traditions will remain for future generations, or if they will slowly fade away.

Maybe the trend will grow into other sports, such as soccer. Until then, united or divided, families will continue to celebrate these special days, whether it’s with their favorite holiday soundtracks ringing through their homes, or the latest sports update and the cheering of their favorite crowds of fans.

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