With the current rankings for college football's Bowl Championship Series recently released, the minds of most football fans are turning to the Fiesta Bowl and the national title game.

But within the LDS culture, the minds of most fans are turning to an upcoming bowl game that is closer to home and infinitely more important: the Turkey Bowl.

Every year on or near Thanksgiving, LDS men across the nation lift themselves from the armchair, dust off the old football cleats that are now a few sizes to small, and bundle up to go out and test their manhood against their brethren.

"Turkey Bowls are awesome," said Nate Duchein, a senior from San Diego, Calif., majoring in Neuroscience. "Thanksgiving just wouldn't be Thanksgiving without them. They're a tradition."

Joel Jenks, a junior from Sacramento, Calif., majoring in Public Relations, agreed that Turkey Bowls are an important part of the holiday.

"That's why Thanksgiving is the greatest holiday known to man," he said. "There's no pressure. You wake up, play football, eat good food, and then fall asleep while watching football. It's the greatest day ever."

Although Turkey Bowls have become a part of LDS culture, like so many other traditions, nobody is really sure where this one came from.

"I don't know how Turkey Bowls got started," Jenks said. "We've just always played them."

The game can be organized in a variety of ways, but its simplicity remains. Some wards play touch or flag football, while tougher wards in snowy climates tend to play smash-mouth tackle football.

Teams are usually divided to pit the Aaronic Priesthood holders against their Melchizedek Priesthood counterparts in a battle of youth versus experience.

"When I was young, it was fun to beat on the old men," Duchein said. "But now that I'm on the older side, it's even more fun to humble those arrogant kids."

However the game is played, everyone agrees that it is all for good, clean fun and a great way of strengthening unity and friendship between the players.

"Any tradition that a ward can have together helps create unity, because it is something you can look forward to," Jenks said. "The Turkey Bowl gives you a chance to get to know your fellow brethren and just have fun."

It is that spirit of unity that sets the Turkey Bowl apart from the other famous LDS sporting tradition, Combat Basketball.

The Turkey Bowl also offers an aggression outlet for disillusioned fans whose teams are not doing so well. This is especially useful for BYU football fans struggling with a tough season.

"A Turkey Bowl would be more exciting to watch than the BYU Cougars this year," said Joel Strassburg, a senior from Wilson, N.Y. majoring in Marketing and Advertising.

Whatever their reason, LDS men across the nation look forward to the Turkey Bowl as one of the highlights of Thanksgiving.

"It's a beautiful thing," Jenks said.



Copyright Brigham Young University 25 Nov 2002