(photo via fox6now.com)

If you don’t have this tradition yet, it’s time to start one. You have a little less than a week before what could become the biggest game of your year. So start planning now.  

All over America next Thursday, thousands of men will be giving thanks — thanking God or whatever higher being they worship — that they survived their annual Turkey Bowl.

For what many wives call foolish reasons, Thanksgiving Day morning is when men (and sometimes women), with or without their kids, choose to battle on the local field in a friendly game of touch football. But this isn’t a league-ending game or just a tussle played for fun. The ramifications go far beyond any championship trophy. This contest is for bragging rights for the next 364 days.

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Whether it’s with neighbors and kids, high school buddies, or just a bunch of uncles and cousins, the game is the highlight of the holiday for these gridiron stars. In fact, if the answer wasn’t obvious, my guess is, a year later, more people would remember the score of the game than what they ate for dinner.

What most likely started as a means for women to get the men and kids out of the house -— and out of the way so they can cook — has turned into a manly rite of participation.  Every single one of us (and our joints) wants to be the first to say, “I’m not playing this year!” But not one of us has the courage to do so.

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The weather is irrelevant. The same men who would whine about having to take out the trash in a cold drizzle are out twisting ankles, bruising knees and tearing up clothes in the same conditions, sometimes even worse. There’s no such thing as a rain- or snow-out for a Turkey Bowl.

The friendly part usually ends as soon as the first touchdown is scored and the newest celebration dance ensues. And the “touch” part quickly becomes rough-touch, and in many cases, tackle.

For many of these men, the Turkey Bowl is their annual physical activity. For all of them, it is without a doubt the most bruises per hour they will get the rest of the year.

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The game usually ends not by a time limit or a final score, but rather when there aren’t enough players left standing to continue.

So moms and daughters and aunts and grandmothers, as you watch the men in your family limp to the dinner table, please don’t laugh at them (at least not out loud). Instead, be proud of them. After all, they are imbibing in a rough-and-tough family tradition that was passed onto them by their fathers, and they in turn will pass onto their sons. 

It’s a ritual that, if they survive, will go down in the family annals as one of the most memorable events of the year … until next year’s Turkey Bowl.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jon Buzby has been involved in and writing about youth sports for the past 30 years, originally as a coach and board member with his now-adult son and most recently "just as a dad" with his 8- and 10-year-old sons. Jon is an award-winning writer and his latest book, “Coaching Kids Made Easier,” is available on Amazon. Send comments or future blog topics you'd like to see to JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow him @YouthSportsBuzz on Twitter.