By Matt Papiernik, @Matt_Papiernik on Twitter
SteelerNation.com
This is far from a done deal, but as of now the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement and game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys are still scheduled to happen on their original dates on the weekend of August 6th-8th. With how the NFL has managed to keep on schedule, I don't think anyone is really surprised that they are holding firm on these dates.
What may surprise some people is the fact they intend on having fans in attendance for both of these events. With no large events having people in attendance yet, this may be the first when the beginning of August comes around.
The HOF is opening today, June 10th, and accepting visitors for the first time since they shut down due to COVID-19. They are opening with what appears to be the current standard, which is employees wearing masks, masks being available to guests, social distancing guidelines, etc.
The VP of Communications for the HOF, Rich Desrosiers, stated "One of the things we're hoping for and that we're willing to do is to almost be the test case for the NFL". Since the Hall of Fame game is the very first exhibition game for the NFL, it makes sense to test any protocols during this time.
Over 20,000 tickets were sold for this game, and the game was sold out in less than an hour. People are excited to get back to watching football again, and probably sports in general.
While the HOF plans to run their activities as scheduled, the NFL and NFLPA still need to come to agreements on what protocols will be in place to ensure players safety. That includes finalizing an agreement for training camp, let alone games.
Luckily, these activities will most likely take place with fans in attendance in some capacity. However, keeping the original dates at the beginning of August is definitely on the optimistic side, seeing as how everything else seems to be moving at a snails pace when compared to the NFL's timeline.
Even if the NFL and the HOF have to push back this game, or even other preseason games, there may be a silver lining. The NFL and NFLPA have talked in the past about reducing the number of preseason games, and if some of these events are pushed back, this would be the perfect time to trial a shorter preseason in order to preserve the 17 week schedule.
Let us know below what you think about the Pro Football Hall of Fame's decision to move keep all their events as planned!
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