The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a staple in this country. Why? Look, I’m not normally such a sourpuss, and I hope I’m not coming off that way. But, I can’t help but think that the biggest parade in the world—the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC, which has been televised since 1953—has morphed over the last few decades into The Flashiest Piece of Advertising on The Planet. Maybe it always was? The first Macy’s Day Parade took place in 1924 to celebrate a literal expansion; the new flagship store spanned an entire NYC city block, making it, at the time (allegedly), the “World’s Largest Store.” The intention was not to encourage Thanksgiving Day sales, but rather to get people jazzed about Christmas gifts.
Much like Black Friday, we’re looking at a showcase for curated capitalism, people. This is supposed to be a day of giving thanks!
Fun fact: This year, the parade will be virtual, which is fine, I guess.
Thanksgiving football used to be huge. Many more colleges played on Thanksgiving. Many of those games ended when Division I FCS, Division II and Division III added playoffs. Similarly many high schools played Thanksgiving until state high school playoffs came around.