DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Detroit Lions will kick off their 86th Thanksgiving day game on Thursday afternoon, but this year, fans won't be allowed inside Ford Field for the game.
7 Action News' Darren Cunningham caught up with a woman who says she's been attending since she was a toddler, but will still manage to be near the sidelines.
Ellen Trudell's first time going to a Lions Thanksgiving game came at just 3 years old.
"My dad and I going to the Lion's game, it's a big reason for our bond," she said. "I have all of these super vivid memories of going to the Silverdome and going to Ford Field with my dad. We would wake up, we would watch the parade."
But this year, a longheld tradition takes a break as fans won't be able to attend the game, like any other game, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's difficult. It's difficult that people maybe aren't getting together with their family in the way that they normally are," she said.
So season ticket holders like her father, Norman, will have to watch the game from home.
But for Ellen, there's a catch – she'll be able to watch the game in-person. Because she's such a loyal fan, she started worked for the team about seven years ago, currently in corporate communications.
"My Thanksgiving streak will continue, and I recognize that that's only because I work there and it will be in a working capacity," she said. "I've been saying, giving thanks isn't canceled. We can still give thanks and we obviously can root for the Lions and cheer for the Lions on TV."
