[Stardust]

With the Detroit Lions mired in yet another dismal season, their appearance Thursday in the annual Thanksgiving game will again spark debate.

The Lions' only national TV appearance in recent years has come on Thanksgiving Day. The team is hosting its 71st annual holiday game this season.

CAPTIONBy Leon Halip, US Presswire

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said in recent years that the league has no immediate plans to strip the Lions or the Dallas Cowboys of their place as hosts of two of the three Thanksgiving games.

But whispers have persisted in some NFL circles that other teams would like the chance to host the national TV showcase. And NFL Network host Rich Eisen said on the Dan Patrick show Wednesday that he's heard from some in the league who want on-field performance to play a role in who hosts the holiday games.
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"I have spoken to some executives who would love relegation," he said. "...You would have to have two or three years above .500."

The league added a third Thanksgiving game in 2006 that rotates among the other 30 teams.

But the 2-8 Lions' performance -- they haven't had a winning season since 2000, haven't won on Thanksgiving since 2003 and in the past two years have lost by a combined score of 81-22 on the holiday -- will likely increase calls for the NFL to allow even more teams to hold a home game on Thanksgiving.