Annual Turkey Bowl flag football takes over Chicago's Columbus Park
CHICAGO (CBS) – It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without football. On Wednesday, some Chicago kids kicked off the holiday with a little friendly competition.
The annual Turkey Bowl Flag Football game took over Columbus Park on the West Side.
The big game was put together by the violence prevention group Build, along with support from the Chicago Bears charity.
One former Bears player told CBS 2 the annual tradition is important to keeping kids on the right path.
"It lets those kids know that regardless of what's going on, there's somebody there that's consistent in their lives that's going to be there to support them and that's extremely important," said former Bear Israel Idonije. "To see these kids run around, throwing the ball around, it's exciting."
Wednesday's Turkey Bowl included three youth games, plus a game between staffers from Build and officers from the 15th police district.