Not only is Thanksgiving a day to eat enormous amounts of turkey, potatoes, green beans, cranberries, etc., it is a great day to watch and play football. For years now, the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions have played games on Turkey day. Recently, many friends and families spend thanksgiving morning playing their own football games.

Many westsiders take part in “Turkey Bowls” on Thanksgiving Day at local schools and parks. If you drove by Visi, Kuliga Park, Rapid Run, St. Antoninus, or Delhi Park, you’re guaranteed to see people playing football all bundled up in the cold.

“Every year, the Mazza family boys play football at Kuliga on Thanksgiving,” said Mark Mazza, a senior here at Elder. “It’s a great time to have a little competition with the family before we grub on food later in the day.”

There is nothing better to do in a single day than mixing football with pigging out on food. The past four years, about 20 of us have played our “Turkey Bowl” at Visi. Playing tackle football in the cold, wet, and slippery conditions brings back memories of our childhood. Making us all wish we could go back to fifth grade, when playing pickup games were almost a daily occurrence at recess and after school.

If you don’t currently take part in a pickup football game on Thanksgiving, you should give it a try next year. It will be a blast with whoever you play, whether is family, friends, or a mixture of both. Plus it is good exercise for the day so you don’t feel too bad after eating pounds of turkey. There’s nothing better than playing football on a national holiday with friends and family.