Thanksgiving Day football: How the sport became a staple of turkey day

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For many American families, a successful Thanksgiving is filled with loved ones around the table, turkey as a centerpiece and NFL games taking over every TV in the house.

Football has been a popular Thanksgiving tradition for many years, from amateur leagues to the pros. Families and friends even gather the morning of Thanksgiving for a quick pick-up game of flag, tag or tackle football. In one way or another, football is intertwined with Turkey Day festivities.

Here's more insight into how Thanksgiving Day football became a long-lasting tradition.

Families gather every year to watch NFL football games on Thanksgiving. (Nic Antaya / Getty Images / File)

THANKSGIVING-THEMED EPISODES FROM POPULAR TV SHOWS TO WATCH ON TURKEY DAY

NFL games on Thanksgiving Day started the same year the league was organized. There were several teams that played on the holiday in 1920, including the Akron Pros vs the Canton Bulldogs, the Elyria Athletics vs the Columbus Panhandles and the Dayton Triangles vs the Detroit Heralds, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Of these teams, five out of the six were professional teams from Ohio.

However, the tradition of game day on Thanksgiving was first seen at the collegiate level. The first college game in history played on Thanksgiving Day was on Nov. 30, 1876, when Ivy League rivals, Yale and Princeton, played one another. Yale beat Princeton 2-0.

NFL games on Turkey Day have occurred since the beginning of the NFL. (Amy Lemus / NurPhoto via Getty Images / File)

THANKSGIVING