Sekuyisikhathi eside iningi lethu likhumbula, amaDallas Cowboys namaDetroit Lions adlale imidlalo ngoSuku Lokubonga. Kodwa kungani?
Ake siqale ngamaLions. Ayedlala yonke imidlalo yokubonga kusukela ngo-1934, ngaphandle kuka-1939-44, naphezu kokuthi ayengesilo iqembu elihle iningi laleyo minyaka. AmaLions adlale isizini yawo yokuqala eDetroit ngo-1934 (ngaphambi kwalokho, ayengamaPortsmouth Spartans). Ayebhekene nobunzima ngonyaka wawo wokuqala eDetroit, njengoba iningi labalandeli bezemidlalo lapho lalithanda iDetroit Tigers yebaseball futhi alizange liphume ngobuningi ukuzobuka amaLions. Ngakho umnikazi wamaLions uGeorge A. Richards wayenombono: Kungani ungadlali kuThanksgiving?
URichards wayephethe nesiteshi somsakazo i-WJR, esasingesinye seziteshi ezinkulu ezweni ngaleso sikhathi. URichards wayenethonya elikhulu emhlabeni wokusakaza, futhi wakholisa i-NBC ukuthi ibonise umdlalo ezweni lonke. I-Chicago Bears, umpetha we-NFL, yafika edolobheni, futhi amaLions athengisa yonke insimu ye-University of Detroit eyayinezihlalo ezingu-26,000 okokuqala. URichards waqhubeka nalesi siko eminyakeni emibili eyalandela, futhi i-NFL yaqhubeka nokubahlela ngo-Thanksgiving lapho beqala ukudlala ngalolo suku ngemva kokuphela kweMpi Yezwe II. URichards wathengisa iqembu ngo-1940 washona ngo-1951, kodwa isiko aliqalayo liyaqhubeka nanamuhla lapho amaLions edlala … namaChicago Bears.
AmaCowboys aqala ukudlala ku-Thanksgiving ngo-1966. Angena kuligi ngo-1960 futhi, noma kunzima kangakanani ukukukholwa manje, ahluleka ukudonsa abalandeli ngoba babebi kakhulu eminyakeni embalwa yokuqala. Umphathi jikelele uTex Schramm wancenga i-NFL ukuthi ibahlelele umdlalo we-Thanksgiving ngo-1966, ecabanga ukuthi lokho kungabanika udumo olukhulu eDallas kanye nasezweni lonke njengoba umdlalo uzosakazwa kuthelevishini.
Kwasebenza. Amathikithi angu-80,259 aqoshwe yiDallas athengiswa njengoba amaCowboys enqoba amaCleveland Browns, ngo 26-14. Abanye abalandeli beCowboys bakhomba lowo mdlalo njengokuqala kweDallas ukuba “iqembu laseMelika.” Baphuthelwe ukudlala kuThanksgiving ngo-1975 nango-1977, lapho uKhomishana we-NFL uPete Rozelle ekhetha iSt. Louis Cardinals esikhundleni salokho.
Imidlalo neCardinals yabonakala ilahlekelwe kakhulu ezilinganisweni, ngakho uRozelle wabuza amaCowboys ukuthi azophinde adlale yini ngo-1978.
“Kwakuyinto engavamile eSt. Louis,” kusho uSchramm etshela iChicago Tribune ngo-1998. “UPete ubuze ukuthi singayibuyisela yini. Ngathi kuphela uma siyithola unomphela. Kuyinto okufanele uyakhe njengesiko. Wathi, ‘Ingoyakho unomphela.’ ”
UNate Bain ugijimele phansi njengoba isikhathi siphela futhi washaya igoli ngesikhathi edlala ngaphandle ngoLwesibili ebusuku ukuze anikeze uStephen F. Austin ukunqoba okumangalisayo kwesikhathi esengeziwe ngo-85-83 phezu kukaDuke, okuqeda ukunqoba kweBlue Devils ekhaya imidlalo engu-150 ilandelana bedlala nabaphikisi abangebona abenkomfa.
UBain, umfundi waseBahamas, wenze ingxoxo enkantolo futhi wazibamba izinyembezi lapho ekhuluma ngokuthi kube unyaka onzima kangakanani. Ikhaya umndeni wakhe owawuhlala kulo labhujiswa yiSiphepho iDorian kulo nyaka.
“Umndeni wami ulahlekelwe kakhulu kulo nyaka,” kusho uBain okhathazekile. “Ngeke ngikhale ku-TV.”
Izikhulu zaseStephen F. Austin zase zisungule ikhasi le-GoFundMe elivunyiwe yi-NCAA leBain ngoSepthemba. Abafundi baseStephen F. Austin baqala ukwabelana ngalelo khasi ezinkundleni zokuxhumana ngemuva kokunqoba, futhi kusukela ngoLwesithathu ntambama, lase liqoqe imali engaphezudlwana kuka-$69,000, lidlula kalula igoli lika-$50,000. Uma sibheka okunye kokuphawula, abanye babaxhasi babengabalandeli beDuke.
Isikhathi sokuthunyelwe: Novemba-28-2019