Though it may feel like watching football has always been a staple of Thanksgiving, the tradition started over two centuries after the OG Thanksgiving day, in 1876. Why is it offensive to take part in this tradition, you may ask? Well, for one, it feels at odds with the spirit of reflection and gratitude; some Native Americans even regard the holiday as a National Day of Mourning. “I do have that Thanksgiving meal on that day with family, but it gives me an opportunity to speak to the kids and the family about the truth of the day, and why that day is important to give thanks,” Cedric Cromwell, the chairman and president of the tribal council of the Mashpee Wampanoag, told HuffPost in 2015. “Some would say, ‘Why be so dark about it?’ Well, it’s real, it’s truthful, it was a holocaust, and that holocaust must be shared and communicated so that we ensure that mankind doesn’t do that to each other again.”
Additionally, this year, one of the three Thanksgiving Day games will be played by the Washington, D.C., team, which uses an offensive name for Native Americans as its name and mascot. “The [D.C.] team, our fans and community have always believed our name represents honor, respect and pride,” owner Dan Snyder said in a statement, responding to a Washington Post poll of 504 Native Americans that found that most did not find the name offensive. That aside, Native Americans have been petitioning the team to change the name for years, but the fact that they are playing on Thanksgiving Day, in light of the holiday's history, is particularly unfeeling.
Turning Thanksgiving into practice for a Super Bowl party erases the significance of the holiday. And, considering that many football teams have recently been taking part in protests against police brutality and systemic racism, watching football as entertainment on a day meant for reflection feels even more disconcerting.
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