The New York Giants finally acquiesced this year and agreed to be featured in HBO’s offseason version of Hard Knocks, but it came with conditions.
The Giants did not want their training camp process featured, so they agreed to open their doors to film crews during the offseason, beginning in January and ending after their June mandatory minicamp. The first installment airs on July 2.
The Giants, who had been reluctant to participate in the Hard Knocks franchise, which began in 2001, perhaps felt it was beneath the storied franchise’s standards.
Co-owner John Mara even said that the team would do the program “when I’m next to my father in Gates of Heaven Cemetery.”
Well, Mara is still very much alive and the Giants’ headquarters will be on display for the whole world to see, albeit very much on their own terms.
General manager Joe Schoen revealed at the event “Giants 100: A Night with Legends” in Manhattan on Thursday night that the team would have the final cut on what the public sees.
Joe Schoen revealed tonight that NFL Films grants Giants final say on things that may be edited out of Hard Knocks for competitive reasons heading into the 2024 season. So it will be interesting to see what makes the cut.
— Art Stapleton (@art_stapleton) June 21, 2024
The focus of this series offers a different view of an NFL team. The Giants’ front office, scouts and coaches are the stars here, not the players.
“As we enter our 100th season, we look forward to providing our fans with the opportunity to see what it takes to build an NFL roster,” said Nilay Shah, Giants senior vice president of marketing and brand strategy.
“Beginning the moment the previous season ended, we gave NFL Films unprecedented access to this critical time of the year. We know viewers will gain insight from moments that have never been captured before and are excited for them to learn more about our Giants history.”
