Beginning next week, the New York Giants will finally be featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” after 23 years of avoiding the spotlight.
Co-owner John Mara always contended his storied franchise would never participate in the show, which features an in-depth look at an individual NFL team’s trials and tribulations.
“When I’m next to my father in Gates of Heaven Cemetery,” Mara said a few years back when asked about when the Giants would let HBO’s cameras into their facility.
Well, Mara is still very much alive. His team will take their turn in the long-running docuseries, albeit in an offseason iteration and not the training camp edition.
The front office will be the main focus, not the players. HBO began filming in January and is in the process of wrapping this week.
So, what changed Mara’s mind? Why is he suddenly so receptive to the idea?
Marketing.
This year marks the franchise’s 100th season, and what better way to promote that than appearing on a national program that almost every NFL enthusiast watches religiously?
Plus, the time and circumstances finally aligned to Mara’s liking. They give him an opportunity to repair the team’s fraying image publicly. In addition, the show will serve as the first peek into a team’s offseason process and provide a comprehensive look at the engine that drives an NFL team behind the scenes.
“How do we identify and target that 17-year-old kid who lives out in California who may never go to any of our YouTube channels or our social media accounts?” said Nilay Shah, the Giants’ senior vice president for marketing and brand strategy, via The Athletic. “How do we get them to understand the history and the impact this organization has had in the NFL in the context of our 100th season?”
It’s a new era in Giants football as well. General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are not camera-shy. The agreement reached with HBO was to display the team’s offseason process — the draft, free agency, OTAs and minicamps — rather than disrupt training camp.
“As we enter our 100th season, we look forward to providing our fans with the opportunity to see what it takes to build an NFL roster,” said Shah.
“Beginning the moment the previous season ended, we gave NFL Films unprecedented access to this critical time of the year. We know viewers will gain insight from moments that have never been captured before and are excited for them to learn more about our Giants history.”
The five-part series premieres Tuesday, July 2 at 9 p.m. EDT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max, with new episodes debuting on subsequent Tuesdays through July 30.
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