When the HBO reality TV show Hard Knocksdebuted back in 2001, it felt like every team in the league wanted to be on it. But now that it has been around for more than a decade (it's worth noting that HBO didn't air the show from 2003 through 2007), HBO is having trouble convincing teams to be on it. That resulted in a scramble at the last minute this past summer and the Bengals agreeing to appear on the show for the second time in just five years.
That won't happen next summer, though. That's because the NFL just announced that, starting next year, they will pick who appears on Hard Knocks if no one steps up and volunteers to be on it. And the only way that a team can opt out is if they've appeared on the show in the last 10 years, they've reached the playoffs within the last two seasons, or they have a new coach. Otherwise? Everyone is fair game.
So who's going to be forced to do it next year? The New York Giants? Chicago Bears? Pittsburgh Steelers? All we know is that the mad dash to make the playoffs this season just got a whole lot interesting. And we can't wait to see how Hard Knocks plays out the first time an NFL team is forced to be on it.
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[via CBS Sports]
