When I think Thanksgiving, many traditions come to mind that bring back memories of a complete holiday. To name a few, time with family and friends, culinary preparations and the all-of-five-minutes of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade I can handle. But, of course, Thanksgiving would not be Thanksgiving in the Galatas household without football.
This year, Mississippi State will play Ole Miss in the Battle of the Golden Egg on Thanksgiving night for the first time since 2003. Although many fans accept the schedule change, I do not think the holiday game will provide much benefit to the Bulldogs.
When I asked a few of my peers about their opinions of the schedule change, the majority of responses were mostly the same. “It’s great because we get to stuff our faces and enjoy a great game in Davis Wade.” But unless you live in the Golden Triangle, you can’t do both.
The majority of students traveling for the holidays will have a tough choice to make of either attending the game, or staying home and watching the game on TV while finishing the lunch leftovers. One thing the Dogs can expect from the Thanksgiving game is national television exposure, but are ratings more important than getting fans to the game?
With it being a prime game on a day that does not see many sports, there will be a lot of attention to this rivalry game, even if it is just background noise during post-lunch naps. Even though the Egg Bowl will generate a viewership nationwide, I can’t help but think the matchup will not get the attention it deserves. Over the past three years, the Thanksgiving Day game posted an average 3.6 million viewers. Those matchups included Texas vs. Texas A&M and Texas vs. TCU. Yes, State and Ole Miss have become more competitive in recent years, but I don’t think the game can draw in the number of viewers as a powerhouse Texas can.
Although the game will give both squads some national attention, the Dogs won’t be just battling the Rebels when Nov. 28 match rolls around. When you think about football on Thanksgiving, the first thing that usually comes to mind is the tradition of National Football League teams dominating the holiday television lineup. Having been born in Dallas, watching the Cowboys on Thanksgiving became a staple every year. Last year on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys and Redskins drew in 28.7 million viewers while 27.3 million tuned in to the Lions and Texans game. Yes, MSU and Ole Miss played on a Saturday the last three years, but the game averaged only 481,000 viewers since 2010. Playing on Thursday will give the ratings a boost but will still be overshadowed by the NFL audience.
Some fans will embrace the change since many memorable Egg Bowl games took place on Thanksgiving, but I don’t think the viewership will reach far outside the state. Enjoy your traditional holiday with family and friends, and let’s leave football on Thanksgiving to the Cowboys and Lions.