Bears, Commanders, Jets, Saints...Who Cares? Social Media Has Already Ruined Hard Knocks | Anthony Farris
The NFL hasn’t yet decided on this year’s Hard Knocks team, not that it matters.
Though four teams -- the New York Jets, Washington Commanders, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints -- are eligible to be the subject of this season’s HBO series, all signs suggest Gang Green will land the leading role.
But don’t get too excited. The Big Apple, Big Easy or any of the other potential cities involved with Hard Knocks will surely be replaced by the Big Dud.
What was once the pinnacle of summer sports programming is now mundane viewing no more exciting than a mid-July baseball game between two cellar dwellers.
Hard Knocks doesn't lack for drama, but it does lack for suspense. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
In essence, Hard Knocks featuring Aaron Rodgers or Justin Fields, now equates to the same level of excitement as the Royals hosting the Athletics. Better clear some space on the DVR!
And there’s a reason why the level of excitement surrounding the series has gone from a roar to a murmur … social media.
Element Of Surprise Is No Longer Present In Hard Knocks
Wondering which bubble player with a unique story will make the squad in favor of a draft pick or pricey veteran? Don’t worry about waiting till next Tuesday to find out. Instead, scroll through Twitter in the 12 hours that follow said episode’s airing. You’ve got your answer in hours, not days.
Curious to see how the new free agent fares during his first preseason action with the club after struggling to adapt to the new playbook? Cruise down Internet Blvd and his stats, PFF assessment and any number of highlights or lowlights associated with his name will be at your fingertips in a matter of minutes.
Again, no need to settle into the recliner at 10pm EST come Tuesday.
Much like the NFL Draft, social media -- and Twitter in particular -- can’t help but spoil any cliffhangers or question marks surrounding what used to be must-see TV.
HBO's Hard Knocks has long been a part of tv viewers' summers, but the experience has been watered down because of social media. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images).
Hard Knocks First Premiered More Than 20 Years Ago
Now, before you petition to send me down the depth chart, please hear me out. I didn’t want to have to opine on the diluted version of Hard Knocks that occupies our TVs, laptops, and cellphones. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
I’m of the opinion that the first season of Hard Knocks (2001 with the Baltimore Ravens) was among the best, if not the best, sports reality series of all-time. Camping with the birds was a trendsetter for all sports documentaries and TV series that followed. Realistically speaking, there’s likely no 30 for 30’s or The Last Dance without the initial season of Hard Knocks.
Seriously.
The locker room, meeting room and film room scenes were truly like nothing we’ve seen before. Sure, a Sunday morning pregame show may have offered a brief glimpse at a player’s practice reps or their home life. But any such instances were only minutes long and generally focused solely on one of the league’s star players. And foul language (a locker room staple and one of the key components to Hard Knocks’ honesty) was a rarity and never without the accompaniment of a bleep.
The quintessential puff piece.
Save for J.J. Watt hitting a sled post-practice or a shirtless Tim Tebow running sprints in the rain, Hard Knocks is the exact opposite of the behind-the-scenes looks that NFL Films provided fans pre-Hard Knocks.
Thanks to Hard Knocks, viewers learned of the personalities, triumphs, and challenges that accompanied players. And for the first time, it was done outside of VHS tapes bouncing through NFL follies or by way of Madden telestrator narrations.
Who could forget Shannon Sharpe and Tony Siragusa alternating pranks during Hard Knocks’ debut season?
Tony Siragusa was one of the first stars of Hard Knocks. He was a big part of the series' first season in 2001. (Photo credit DON EMMERT/AFP via Getty Images).
Social Media Plays Spoiler To Hard Knocks’ Biggest Moments
The personalities, the strategies and the cuts left us hanging onto every second of a new episode. Viewers wouldn’t dare look away or change the channel before laying eyes on the end-of-episode preview that teased next week’s storylines.
Today, any locker room prank or rookie being handed their walking papers would be featured in a TikTok or Instagram story quicker than you could toggle between your social feeds’ following and for you tabs.
And, frankly, that stinks.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t still get chills upon hearing Liev Schreiber’s voice for the first time each season narrating a sprinkler hitting a football field or a decal being applied to a helmet.
But those same chills dissipate as quickly they surface the moment my multi-tasking keeps one eye on the screen and the other on my phone. Even if I make it through an episode without calling up the little blue bird, there’s no way I’ll make it a week without seeing the rookie talent show sprayed across my social feeds.
And I know I’m not alone.
Whether Ron Rivera’s chewing out an overwhelmed rookie, Garrett Wilson’s catching slow motion bombs, Soldier Field’s getting new grass or a ‘Nawlins newbie’s getting their first taste of gumbo, next month’s Hard Knocks will almost certainly be more nap time white noise than appointment viewing.
But don't put this botched snap of a used-to-be summer blockbuster on HBO. It's social media who couldn't hold onto the ball.
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