NFL cancels annual Hall of Fame Game, postpones enshrinement

As many of you have noted in recent days, the NFL may be fighting a losing battle when it comes to having a 2020 season, but it’s a battle they’re not going to stop fighting. The league has shown they’re willing to do just about everything they can to preserve the season, from effectively erasing minicamps to reducing preseason games.

The latest salvo on that front is going to wipe out the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, where the Falcons played the Broncos just a year ago. This year, the Cowboys and Steelers won’t get the opportunity to play that coveted (?) game, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony has been postponed until August 2021.

This is not a big deal—we all remember how tedious that game was last year—but it’s another bellwether for the NFL. They’re currently supposed to see teams report for training camp on July 28, but they could wipe out most of training camp, preseason, and events like these in order to get to the season, if they think it’ll help. That’s going to lead to some borderline unwatchable football, in all likelihood, but the league is unwilling at the moment to consider the possibility that the season will be cancelled or condensed. There’s no harm in getting rid of the kinds of unimportant exhibition games to ensure that happens, but eliminating all camps and practices would make it hard for teams to actually be ready.

Again, we’ll see where this goes from here, but there’s a lot to talk about and consider when it comes to COVID-19 and the NFL.