Age old tradition honored
John Burns
Issue date: 11/14/06 Section: Sports
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With all the tradition that surrounds Thanksgiving, many recall the age-old story of the Natives bringing the starving Puritan settlers a great feast. But many forget how that first true dinner came to be.
A little known fact is that it had nothing to do with Native-American hospitality, but, in reality, that dinner was the result of the first ever gridiron grudge match on American soil: the Turkeybowl.
It was 1621 and the Puritans had fallen on hard times. Seeing their dilemma, the Natives confronted the settlers with a proposition: "Beat us in football and we will dine with you. Lose, and flee this land forever."
The Pilgrims had no choice but to play, and were undoubtedly the underdog after suffering from malnutrition and playing away from their home turf. But with a strong Christian faith and a little known blacksmith quarterback named Goodman Favre, the Pilgrim's prevailed and feasted with the Natives.
Following the feast, the two groups bonded and made the game a yearly tradition, and now, almost 400 years later, the game still goes on.
With the advent of the NFL, the classic clash of titans has been put on the backburner by the major broadcasting companies. However, thanks to a few key marketing changes, the game will be broadcast nationwide this year.
After dealing with numerous bidders, the teams eventually sold the rights of the Turkeybowl match to Fox. As always, the network has already covered its marketing ground to ensure high ratings by forcing celebrity names and cheap gimmicks down our throats.
The game will be covered by world renowned broadcasters Joe Buck and Tony Kornheiser. Buck, known for his voice which "feels like velvet covered in peanut butter." Kornheiser was immediately picked up for his New York attitude and comedic allusions to pop culture.
Perhaps the biggest name is the game's guest coin tosser, Pierce Brosnan. Obviously, Fox felt the need to create a non-partisan atmosphere for the coin tosser role in the match-up. In order to avoid controversy, they brought in the Puritan English actor to do the toss, but were shocked when he showed up dressed up as a character from one of his most famous rolls: Grey Owl.
A little known fact is that it had nothing to do with Native-American hospitality, but, in reality, that dinner was the result of the first ever gridiron grudge match on American soil: the Turkeybowl.
It was 1621 and the Puritans had fallen on hard times. Seeing their dilemma, the Natives confronted the settlers with a proposition: "Beat us in football and we will dine with you. Lose, and flee this land forever."
The Pilgrims had no choice but to play, and were undoubtedly the underdog after suffering from malnutrition and playing away from their home turf. But with a strong Christian faith and a little known blacksmith quarterback named Goodman Favre, the Pilgrim's prevailed and feasted with the Natives.
Following the feast, the two groups bonded and made the game a yearly tradition, and now, almost 400 years later, the game still goes on.
With the advent of the NFL, the classic clash of titans has been put on the backburner by the major broadcasting companies. However, thanks to a few key marketing changes, the game will be broadcast nationwide this year.
After dealing with numerous bidders, the teams eventually sold the rights of the Turkeybowl match to Fox. As always, the network has already covered its marketing ground to ensure high ratings by forcing celebrity names and cheap gimmicks down our throats.
The game will be covered by world renowned broadcasters Joe Buck and Tony Kornheiser. Buck, known for his voice which "feels like velvet covered in peanut butter." Kornheiser was immediately picked up for his New York attitude and comedic allusions to pop culture.
Perhaps the biggest name is the game's guest coin tosser, Pierce Brosnan. Obviously, Fox felt the need to create a non-partisan atmosphere for the coin tosser role in the match-up. In order to avoid controversy, they brought in the Puritan English actor to do the toss, but were shocked when he showed up dressed up as a character from one of his most famous rolls: Grey Owl.
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