Growing up in the United States, Thanksgiving has always been about two things: feasting and football. From the high school gridiron game in the morning to the family dinner at midday to the Packers-Lions annual match-up before dessert, there are certain traditions of the holiday that are pure Americana. However, this pattern was broken this year as I was across the pond in England for Thanksgiving, making for an experience I will never forget.
First of all, I had to work on Thanksgiving, something that is unheard of in the United States. Instead of being able to wake up to the smell of turkey and pies in the oven and walk to my high school for the annual football game, I had to get up and work at my internship. I can definitely tell you that trading in the sound of the high-school pep band playing "Iron Man" for the sound of my coworkers typing on their computers was not a fair deal.
By the time I got out of work, it was already 5:30 p.m., which, normally on Thanksgiving, is the prime time for playing football in the backyard. In practically every yard in the United States, there is always a football game being played on Thanksgiving. Teams are usually composed of family members, ranging from the truly athletic to the armchair quarterbacks who toss the pigskin in from the sidelines.
Of course, here in London, none of this occurs. Granted, they might be playing football in the local parks (English football, that is - the one using your feet, not your hands), but it's just not the same. Hearing kids call out "goal!" instead of "touchdown!" made me truly homesick.
After these two disappointments, I looked forward to at least watching some NFL action on British TV. I knew that Sky Sports, which is a network here equivalent to the ESPN family of networks in the States, would be showing the games. What I had forgotten were two very important points. First, because of the 5-hour time difference, the kickoffs would be around 10 p.m. Second, the commentators would be British.
OK, so I can handle the time difference. After three months in London, I was used to watching games late at night, including having to watch the Red Sox win the World Series at 4 a.m. But having British commentators do the game ruined the experience for me.
As football is a truly an American sport, it is my belief that only Americans should talk about the game. There is something truly un-American about hearing a British sports announcer explain the terminology of the game to an international audience, especially on Thanksgiving. If you don't know what goes on during play, you should not be watching the game.
So, after experiencing one of the most American holidays possible while overseas, I have one piece of advice: Don't do it. As a football fanatic like me, it was almost impossible to imagine my holiday without any games being played in the area. As much as apple pie, baseball and Chevrolet are a part of U.S. culture, so is football on Thanksgiving.
While I may have missed out on the action this year, I can't wait until those same pep bands are marched out onto the field to signal another high-school Thanksgiving Day match-up next year.
