‘Bandwagon’ Cowboys Fans Help NFL Set TV Ratings on Thanksgiving

CBS announced that Thanksgiving’s game delivered an estimated 38.531 million viewers. 

That means … 

*The Cowboys-Raiders game is the most-watched NFL regular-season game on any network since 1990.

*This year’s Thanksgiving TV ratings for the Cowboys outing is up 26 percent from last year’s game.

*This Cowboys-Raiders game is the most-watched TV program - sports or otherwise - on any network since Super Bowl LV.

There are surely a number of factors that contribute to this financial bonanza for the league and the network. A general American passion for the NFL is among those - the passion being so strong that the fan base is willing to slog through the 28 penalties called over the course of this one.

And there is a specific attraction to stars like QB Dak Prescott and TV's Tony Romo, of course - but without the attention of fans, there are no "stars.''

So this story is really about the number of people who are drawn to the Cowboys. Uber-devoted or casual, “haters” (who actually love to watch Dallas), “bandwagoners” (which there is nothing wrong with being) or “non-existent frauds” (which, ironically, do not exist) … a record was just set.

And Cowboys fans are the ones who set it.

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