By George Eichorn of The Detroit Monitor

They cannot take away pro football on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit — at least according to a guy who played in the game and two who have announced the holiday tradition.

Frank Beckmann, the former Detroit Lions radio and television announcer who was inducted last February into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame; Jim Brandstatter, the onetime U-M Wolverine who has analyzed Lions games for more than two decades and Luther Bradley, a onetime Lion and Notre Dame Fighting Irish star and now a sales consultant with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, want the tradition of turkey, parade and football to continue in the Motor City. They are the subjects of this Monitor interview.

Q. How do you feel about this Lions Thanksgiving Day tradition?

Beckmann: “Sadly, the Thanksgiving Day game has become the sole positive identification mark of the Lions franchise. Traditions in sports are important in providing a bridge from generation to generation, and the Thanksgiving Day game provides that to Detroit football fans.”

Bradley: “This is one of the best fall traditions in our country. It doesn’t get any better than this in terms of national exposure and having the only game on TV for the entire country to watch. We always looked forward to this event.”

Brandstatter: “I love the tradition here in Detroit. This year more than in years past, this city, this state, this community, needs something uplifting. This tradition is uniquely Detroit. Before Dallas was added, it was only Detroit.

“The parade and the game go hand in hand. I truly believe we as a community feel an ownership of these events. The Lions may have a terrible record but on this one day of the year it’s not all about the Lions. The parade, and the tradition many families have surrounding these events involving visiting family, dinner with friends, etc., are all part of the day. It’s Detroit telling the nation, we are alive and well and while our football team may not be the best, we have not left the human race. We will survive and prosper.

Q. What does it mean to the franchise and city to have this game every single season on national TV?

Bradley: “This is the exposure that this city needs. We are not typically a large market team with a first place team. So this provides us with the exposure for our team and city to show that do have some positive things going on here. We need positive stories here just like any other struggling economic city.”

Beckmann: “Again, the Thanksgiving Day game has become a reference point for the Lions’ franchise. It’s as distinctive as the Honolulu blue and silver uniforms or the lion on the helmet. The Thanksgiving Day game IS the Detroit Lions.”

Q. How much does the Lions 0-11 start diminish the game, the fans or the tradition?

Bradley: “Our awful record does put a damper on this event somewhat, but like any other game; on any given day one team can beat another. So we could very easily be the spoiler this year for the undefeated Titans. You never know! Remember, anything can happen.”

Beckmann: “My biggest fear is that the networks are going to be exerting more pressure on the NFL to remove the Lions from the Thanksgiving Day schedule, not just for their 0-10 record this year, but for their failures during the past eight years. The Lions have been able to defend their turf on this front because of the heavy involvement of the auto industry in NFL advertising but that commitment might be reduced with the current state of the industry, and that could provide the opening sought by those who would like to take it away from the Lions and Detroiters.”

Q. Do you ever see a day when the game will be move from its traditional early-afternoon time slot or taken away all together?

Brandstatter: “I hope the game will never be moved from Detroit or its time slot. The league has always embraced its history and tradition. NFL Films became a huge outfit because it celebrated the leagues history and traditions. Players, rivalries, throwback uniforms — they’ve all been marketed to sell the league. Part of the league’s history and its tradition is the Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit. The league would be making a colossal mistake if they took the game away from Detroit. They would be thumbing their nose and their past.”

Beckmann: “I just think this would be a great loss to our city, the psychological sports equivalent of demolishing the Hudson’s building, or seeing an automaker go out of business. No one ever thought those were possibilities either but one has come to fruition and the other may not be far behind. No one’s life would change if the Thanksgiving Day game went away, but it would strike another blow to our psyche because the game has always identified Detroit as being special on that day.”

Bradley: “No. A few years ago the league (actually the late Kansas City owner Lamar Hunt) tried to take the game away from us but Bill Ford Jr. fought vigorously to keep it. He did the right thing for the city and our franchise. We need our day in the sun just like most Super Bowls are in warm weather cities. Of course this has changed now with these indoor stadiums.”

Q. As a Lions player, one must get pumped to play in this game?

Bradley: “This game is always circled on our schedule. Now matter that we play we wanted to show that we can compete and play with the best of them. Even this year, the Lions will be ready…you can take that to the bank!”

Beckmann: “I’ve heard plenty of players complain, over the years, about the short week or preparation and less time to get over injuries from the previous game. But almost universally, players loved playing in the game because they knew the rest of the league and the rest of the country was watching. They also knew there was a great meal waiting afterwards and a longer recuperation period before the next game.”

Brandstatter: “If you can’t get up for this one you’ve got a problem. The entire league is watching. This isn’t regional TV, this is the nationwide TV. It’s like Monday night football. It’s an event. It may only count as a regular season game but it’s more. It’s why you’ve worked so hard your entire life to reach the pinnacle of your profession and, in this game, you are the only one game football fans can watch. It is your stage alone. How can you not be pumped?”

Q. I find it impressive to name all the local and national broadcasters like Van Patrick, Bob Reynolds, Ray Scott, Curt Gowdy, Pat Summerall, John Madden, Dick Enberg, Jack Buck, Hank Stram, Joe Buck, Jim Nantz, Greg Gumbel, Frank Beckmann and Jim Brandstatter who’ve broadcast this holiday game. Is this not a thrill for you?

Brandstatter: “I have been very lucky to broadcast Lions games. When I first got the job I was honored to follow in the footsteps of the great announcers who preceded me in Detroit. The truth is….I feel all of the guys you mentioned are great names in our business, and yet, if they feel like I do, the game makes the announcer. The announcer doesn’t make the game. We should all be thankful we’ve had the opportunity to participate in NFL football.”

Beckmann: “I appreciate the compliment but have never held myself up to the same caliber as the other announcers you’ve listed. That’s another great thing about the distinct nature of the Thanksgiving Day game. Because of its unique spot on the schedule that day it draws the top announce team from whatever network happens to be carrying the games.

“That’s a big upgrade from some of the crews that are assigned to the Lions on a weekly basis where fans suffer through ‘talent‘ that doesn’t know the players and doesn’t measure up to those great names who have done the Thanksgiving Day game. Of course, one of the reasons these legendary broadcasters have reached that plateau is that they never took the games, the teams, or the players for granted — they treat each game as being important because it is to the franchises, players, owners, organizations, and fans who all feel an attachment and maintain a stake in the game, no matter a team’s record.”

Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com. Buy his book, “Detroit Sports Broadcasters On the Air,” for $19.99 now at www.amazon.com or write him at 28822 Los Olas Drive, Warren, MI 48093-7113.

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