HBO’s “Hard Knocks” is taking over Hollywood. For the first time in the show’s 15 seasons, two teams will be featured: the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams.
How much we see, if we see a season at all, is yet to be determined. The 2020 NFL schedule has already been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the league announced Thursday that the 2020 Hall of Fame Game was canceled and enshrinement postponed, but we’re in limbo waiting to see how training camp will be affected.
So, if there is a “Hard Knocks” season, here are three things I’m looking forward to seeing.
How will the teams handle COVID-19?
This is obviously the biggest question mark surrounding the NFL, and I’ve wondered as we continue to produce content, see league transactions, and go through the riggers of the offseason during a global pandemic, how can the league ensure its players, coaches, and staff are safe?
“Hard Knocks” can give us a closer look at this process. Teams, if they’re willing, can show us the testing process and how they’re marrying the physical nature of football with government ordinances of social distancing and wearing personal protective equipment. California Governor Gavin Newsome ordered all Californians to wear a mask, or face covering, in public, or in a high-risk setting. If the order, handed down Thursday, is violated it could result in a misdemeanor or fine. It will be interesting to see how the Chargers and Rams navigate this during workouts.
Rams head coach Sean McVay has already expressed concern about how football during a pandemic can work, but this will be a good opportunity—if the NFL wants to go on, business as usual—to show they are being responsible and prioritizing player safety.
“Is this crazy, coach [Anthony] Lynn?” McVay asked the Chargers’ coach in a joint media video conference Thursday. “We’re talking about some of this stuff and we’re playing football. I mean, we’re going to social distance but we play football? Hey, this is really hard for me to understand all this. I don’t want to be. ... I don’t get it. I really don’t.”
Lynn added: “I know. It’s tough.”
How much will be an ad? How much will be action?
There’s a two-part marketing ploy here. Both teams can show off their new stadium—the $5 billion SoFi Stadium scheduled to be done by the time the 2020 season starts—and can show, along with the NFL, that calls for more action regarding social justice, police brutality, and systemic racism are met with more than just public service announcements from commissioner Roger Goodell.
McVay is already excited about the former aspect, and we all want a sneak peek at what their new home will look like.
“This year will be special because the show will also get an unprecedented look at SoFi Stadium, Stan Kroenke’s vision for professional football in L.A,” McVay said in a statement.
But I’m more interested in the latter. Players across the league have been more vocal than ever before and have blatantly, and rightfully, called out the NFL for its lip service. The league, which is made up of approximately 70% Black players, needs to do a better job of representing their players and players’ voices. “Hard Knocks” can give the Charges, Rams, and the NFL a chance to advocate, educate, and begin to take real sustainable action.
Will the Chargers steal the show?
The Rams may have fallen under the radar after their recent blunder from consecutive 10-plus-win seasons and a Super Bowl appearance to missing the playoffs altogether in 2019. This season of “Hard Knocks” can reinvigorate the franchise and its base, but I want to see the Chargers.
Lynn has been in this spotlight before when he was with the New York Jets in 2010—the Rams were also featured in the HBO series in 2016 when they moved back to Los Angeles—and as a personality, I’ll be tuned in to see him.
“My biggest takeaway from that whole experience was that you get out of it what you put into it,” Lynn said in a statement. “There’s a reason that season was probably the most popular Hard Knocks ever. If you’re going to do a show, do it right. You can’t fake it.”
The Chargers will also feature sixth-overall pick Justin Herbert as the heir to Philip Rivers. HBO loves finding storylines through this process, highlighting certain aspects—new or old—of the team while still working within its bounds to not give the rest of the competition too close of a look inside.
While questions surround sustained success for the Rams, the Chargers are starting anew with Rivers elsewhere. What type of magic can Lynn spark in this green quarterback who will eventually take the reins? Whatever it is, this L.A. team can steal the show with charismatic energy and intrigue.
The first episode is slated to air Tuesday, August 11 at 10 p.m. EST.
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