The uncertainty surrounding the 2020 NFL season is unprecedented. Issues with collective bargaining agreements have arisen several times in the past, but the pandemic caused by Covid-19 is water heretofore unknown. Concern is high, specifically with regards to the congregation of large crowds that sporting events bring.
The first game on the slate is the Hall of Fame game set to feature the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 6, 2020. It may be played without fans in attendance after the governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine said Tuesday, “Certainly, it could not occur today. It would be very dangerous to do it today.”
What this means in terms of revenue for the league, the salary cap in 2021 and beyond is still unknown, but its a situation that bears monitoring. For the teams themselves, losing one of five scheduled exhibition games means next to nothing.
The Hall of Fame game is the first major televised event on the football calendar. It’s accompanied by a flurry of excitement for fans until the painful realization of a roster full of backups battling on the gridiron and boredom sets in. Still, with former head coach Jimmy Johnson set for enshrinement, it’s unfortunate that the Cowboys could be unable to celebrate his accomplishments in a proper fashion.
The bigger question may be whether or not the game takes place at all, in the context of the league’s offseason schedule. One idea that has been floated is that teams get an elongated preparation window for the season that will shrink the preseason down to just two games.
If that happens, then the fate of the Hall of Fame game would be in jeopardy regardless of whether in front of a crowd or not.
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