NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears are one of four NFL Teams eligible to be the main character in this season of HBO’s Hard Knocks series.
But here’s the thing: They aren’t interested. Not one bit:
Full disclosure: I don’t want Hard Knocks at Halas Hall, either. If it were up to me, I’d send HBO’s cameras to Jets camp. That organization enjoys being a sideshow. And once it completes the process of acquiring Aaron Rodgers from the Packers, it’ll be a perfect pairing. But I digress….
Of course Chairman George McCaskey wants no part of Hard Knocks. And I can’t say I blame him. Or maybe it’s more that I understand where he’s coming from.
Because, at their core, the Bears are a family business. It’s a mom-and-pop shop (that, yes, also happens to be part of a billion dollar industry). The Bears try to run their business as a small shop, even as the cash flow means that business is booming. In short, bringing in extra attention goes against how the Halas-McCaskey clan have tried to paint themselves over the years (not saying that’s right or that they’ve succeeded, I’m just saying that’s probably part of their thought process).
Also, Hard Knocks brings extra attention and buzz. And it’s not as if the Bears need that. They’re the Chicago Freakin’ Bears, after all. An NFL charter franchise doesn’t need the razzle dazzle that comes with HBO’s Hard Knocks series.
But on the other hand, I understand why some of my fellow fans may want it.
You want more Bears. And from different angles. You want to see the Bears in ways you’ve never seen them before. Or might ever see them again. To an extent, I want that, too. With all due respect to the Bears social media and in-house production crews, an unfiltered look at Chicago football would be very cool. As a life-long fan, I’d love to see something that goes above and beyond when it comes to the presentation of what this franchise is all about. But George McCaskey and the franchise continue to push back against having Hard Knocks show up at Halas Hall’s doors. So that may be that.
