F ootball and T hanksgiving : A MATCH MADE IN MARKETING HEAVEN
Last year, 30.3 million people tuned in to watch the NFL’s Thanksgiving showdown between the Washington Football Team and the Dallas Cowboys. For those Americans (and probably for you if you’re reading this article), football is as essential to Thanksgiving as turkey and stuffing — but why? As it turns out, there are two answers to that question. The first is that games have been played on the holiday for almost as long as it has officially existed. Thanksgiving became a holiday in 1863, and just six years later, the third American football game in history was played on it.
In 1934, a Detroit Lions coach, George A. Richards, decided that in order to attract more fans, his team would make a point to always play on Thanksgiving when most people were off work. To sweeten the pot, he committed his radio station (an affiliate of the NBC Blue Network) to broadcasting the Thanksgiving game live on 94 different stations across America. This idea was a hit from day one! According to Sporting News, the long-unloved Lions “not only sold out the stadium, they also had to turn people away at the gates.” In 1966, the Dallas Cowboys signed on to play every Thanksgiving, too, for similar publicity reasons.
According to SB Nation, the Young America Cricket Club and the Germantown Cricket Club faced off in that inaugural Thanksgiving game in Philadelphia, and football has been played
Since those early days, football-themed traditions have flourished in American families. Apart
from watching games on TV, one of the most popular is organizing a pre-turkey game of family touch football a la the sitcom “Friends.” (Its famed episode “The One With the Football” aired Nov. 21, 1996.) If you’ve never organized a game, this could be your year! To get started, Google “Scott’s Family- Friendly Touch Football” and click the first link.
on Thanksgiving pretty much ever since! When the NFL was founded in 1920, the Thanksgiving game was official from the get-go.
The second reason we watch football on Thanksgiving is more about money than tradition.
SHARED CUSTODY DURING THE HOLIDAYS I s Y our E x L etting Y ou S ee Y our C hild ?
Shared custody can be extremely difficult for parents during the holidays. Between busy work schedules, planned vacations, and the usual holiday celebrations, this time of year can be stressful. The situation becomes even worse if your ex is not letting you see your child. In Virginia, there is a strict obligation for a child in divorce to have the chance at a relationship with both parents. If your ex-partner is denying visitation without approval from the court, then you have a right to pursue legal action. A child custody and visitation schedule should have been made upon your divorce or legal separation. This determines
when you and your child will spend time together. If your ex is not adhering to the schedule, you need to have a discussion to decide when that time will be made up. It’s imperative to keep a log for every time your ex denied visitation or contact in case you need to take your ex to court. Never take matters into your own hands. If you withhold child custody payments or try to take some other form of revenge, you could face serious legal consequences. If your ex never lets you contact or visit your child, they are violating the court- ordered visitation schedule. This is the ideal time to get the police involved and file a petition to enforce visitation. Virginia does not mess around with visitation orders.
Your ex could face a misdemeanor charge or even lose custody of your child if their intentions are negative. The holidays do not create a loophole in your visitation rights. Your visitation schedule should still be met throughout the entire holiday season. Just because you do not have full custody does not mean they have the right to keep your child from you. We take child custody and visitation laws seriously. Every child should have the opportunity to build and maintain relationships with both of their parents. If your ex is preventing this, contact us online or at 757.517.2942. You deserve to see your child during the holidays, and we want to help.
2 LEGALDEFENSE.COM
Published by Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator