Remember When Bill Maher (and the rest of the world) Tried To Cancel the Lions on Thanksgiving?
For Lions fans, it's been a rough few... um, decades... for Thanksgiving. Of the two traditional teams to watch on Turkey Day - The Cowboys and the Lions - ONLY the Cowboys have a winning record at 31-22-1. The Lions are six game shy of .500 on the traditional game, and haven't won on Thanksgiving since beating the Vikings 16-13 in 2016.
So... they're due, and now we can put a sock in the mouths of those who called for their expulsion from an annual Thanksgiving Game, like Bill Maher did in 2021.
Two years ago, the Lions were on a slide for sure. It had been five years since they won on Thanksgiving, and the phrase "Same Ole Lions" was becoming Commonplace. And while fans of the Lions were more-or-less complacent about keeping the Thanksgiving tradition alive, they were finding it hard to feel thankful for being a fan.
And as if to pour it on even heavier, HBO host, and comedian Bill Maher decided to make this a national affair.
"Pretending that this is a must-see game is key to how we avoid talking to our families for three hours. It's hard to tell Uncle Phil, 'You know, I'd love to learn more about how the Rothschilds are microchipping Trump supporters but the Lions are on.' I mean he's gullible, he's not THAT gullible."
So as close as two years ago, when the Lions had a five-year skid going, he was already calling for them to be off the air on Thanksgiving.
But now, fast forward to 2023, and I'm sure he's eating crow. The Lions are top of their division by a long shot, and a top contender in the NFC to reach the Super Bowl.
Had Maher gotten his wish, even after last year's disastrous loss to the Bills, we might not be watching the BRAND NEW LIONS this Thursday, and we'd have Maher, and all the other haters to blame.
So despite a losing record, and years of fans wearing paper bags on their heads, the tradition WILL live on, and it's a good thing we didn't jump the gun, OR listen to Bill Maher. Because clearly, he didn't believe in the One Pride Hype... so maybe he is THAT gullible, where "Uncle Phil" isn't?
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Gallery Credit: Jacob Harrison