Coaches have different opinions on whether to hold practice on a holiday.BOS coach Doc Rivers has "always tried to keep things in perspective."
Says Coach Rivers:
"I look at it as one day. I don’t think one day is going to make or break your season. [Thanksgiving is] always a family day. It has to be. It's the best holiday of the year. The other ones, you do them. But I think Thanksgiving is the single best day of the year as far as I'm concerned because it's about giving, saying thanks, and being with your family."
There was a good story a couple of days ago about a high school in Napa that has a tradition of practicing on Thanksgiving morning. The team's coach invites players' family, alums, and fans to watch practice, which is followed by a brunch.
According to the coach:
“It’s about family and trying to make sure that we understand that we’re really, really thankful to be practicing on a day like today. We wanted to make sure that we opened it up to the family, so that they can come on a day like today and watch their kids practice. A lot of our (alumni) come back and we want to open it up for guys that have played football here before to come out.”
And a coach in Columbia, Md., who also holds practice on Thanksgiving Day, to "underscore the significance of the day, asks his players to go home after the Thanksgiving practice and call a relative they have not spoken to in a long time. Who knows, it might be a relative they would have otherwise seen if not for the Thanksgiving practice."
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