When did football take over our holidays?

This Thanksgiving, there will be three NFL games, then the rest of the weekend will be filled with college games, capped off by the rest of the NFL Sunday schedule. When I was a kid, the only NFL game on the holiday was the Detroit Lions game, and I don't really recall all those Friday college games, either. I know I sound like a sad case, complaining about the good old days, but really, can't we enjoy our time together without a TV blaring away?