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The New York Giants have never been shouldered with the burden that comes with being featured on a season of Hard Knocks, but that’s (kind of) about to change based on a recent development that probably didn’t thrill owner John Mara based on what he’s had to say about the program in the past.
In 2001, HBO gave viewers an unprecedented glimpse at what unfolds behind the scenes at an NFL training camp when the Baltimore Ravens ended up at the center of the first season of Hard Knocks.
The show was an immediate hit with football fans who ate up the compelling footage chronicling the trials and tribulations players, coaches, and teams have to deal with while gearing up for a new season. With that said, it’s easy to understand why franchises that aren’t exactly eager to let a massive camera crew document basically everything that goes down don’t necessarily share the same enthusiasm.
In 2010, New York Giants owner John Mara made it very clear he had no interest in having his team appear on Hard Knocks, saying it will happen “when I’m next to my father in Gates of Heaven cemetery.” His squad is still one of the 18 NFL teams that haven’t appeared on the program (a number that dips to 16 if you include the in-season edition that debuted in 2021), but it looks like his resistance was futile to a point.
As things currently stand, the Bears, Broncos, and Saints are the only three teams that can be forced to participate in the upcoming season of Hard Knocks (franchises are exempt if they have a first-year coach, made the playoffs in the previous two seasons, or appeared on the show in the past 10 years).
However, on Wednesday, the NFL announced the first-ever offseason version of Hard Knocks will be airing on HBO on July 2nd and will revolve around Mara’s Giants.
An unprecedented look at an NFL offseason for the very first time. #HardKnocks Offseason with the New York Giants premieres July 2 on @StreamonMax. #Giants100 pic.twitter.com/UgBARfQcC1
— NFL (@NFL) May 15, 2024
It’s a bit hard to imagine a series that largely revolves around what goes down in an NFL front office will be as intriguing as one that’s more concerned with what unfolds on the field, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if that ends up being the case.