Opinion Piece

Tradition-the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation

Westborough High School holds many traditions such as the first day of senior year, competition day or the fall pep rally, but perhaps the most famed of all these traditions is the annual Thanksgiving Day football game versus rival Algonquin Regional High School.

Thanksgiving morning for most Westborough residents means heading to the football field, braving against cold weather to cheer for the players. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, alumni and other relatives alike routinely clear out their Thanksgiving morning to make the trek out to see their family member(s) compete in high level football.

This year,  the Rangers’ Thanksgiving Day game had to be rescheduled to the Wednesday night before due to severe cold weather conditions expected on Thanksgiving day. As one can imagine, this decision was largely an unpopular one among the townies and extended families of the players, many of whom could not attend due to the abrupt time change on short notice. Furthermore, many people were upset because they felt the tradition of football on Thanksgiving was being ripped from them, and change is almost always unpopular for the public.  

Many residents were outspoken about the decision, and one anonymous parent went far enough to say, “Westborough is so soft. What, so our kids can’t play in the cold anymore?”

What many people do not know about the Athletic Director Johanna DiCarlo’s decision is that football is dangerous to be played in temperatures as low as they were on Thanksgiving, -2 degrees to be exact including the bitter wind chill. In a sport with as much contact as football, injuries become much easier to come by in the cold weather. Multiple towns around MA had to reschedule the game as well due to the weather.

It was no secret to see that despite Westborough’s unwillingness to want a Wednesday night game, the turnout on the brand new turf on that night was greater than any other game on the season for the Rangers. Naturally, that result left the Athletic Director and Assistant to the Athletic Director Ed Belbin with a thought:  Why not keep the Thanksgiving Day game on a Wednesday night? More people would be available, and some have offered that a block party or festival could be held prior to the game to boost team spirit.

While we respect and agree with the decision to change the game this year, we believe that this would not be a good idea to continue this trend going forward. For one, there would be outrage within the community as people would be extremely reluctant to change the time and date of the game.

Additionally, many extended family members who enjoy coming to the game are only available on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. Lastly, the game switches fields every single year, and Algonquin may not desire playing on a Wednesday night, and this could cause more conflict. Given the pushback that changing the game would cause, we encourage the people in charge to continue to hold the tradition of Thanksgiving morning football sacred.