The Bears fought against the intrusion of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series for more than two decades. Now they seem like they couldn’t be happier to have a crew of roughly 30 recording nearly everything that goes on at Halas Hall during training camp.
The “Hard Knocks” staff has been on the practice field, though somewhat camouflaged by the fact that their shirts are navy and orange, but not a nuisance.
“They’ve been out of the way,” coach Matt Eberflus said Thursday. “You can barely notice them. Players have [mentioned] that. It’s been a lot less than we thought.
“They do a really good job staying back, staying out of the way and getting their stuff they need. It’s been really good so far.”
The five-episode series debuts Aug. 6 with new episodes airing Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. The show is presented as an all-access, behind-the-scenes view of the organization, though the Bears have veto power over anything HBO wants to use.
There are camera crews and boom microphone operators at every practice and news conference, and there also are cameras installed in every meeting room. Players have consistently said it’s a non-factor as they get ready for the season.
“I don’t really think about it,” said veteran tight end Gerald Everett, who played most of his career for the Rams and Chargers before signing with the Bears this year. “Being in L.A. most of my career, I’ve kind of grown accustomed to it. Just being near Hollywood, being around certain people, I’ve grown to not think about it as much as I used to my rookie year.”
The Bears were an obvious choice for HBO as a team thought to be on the rise and with a compelling player and personality in rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Williams has been a celebrity since his 2022 Heisman Trophy season at USC and was an unprecedented money maker in NIL deals.
Anyone would agree they were the right call to be the subject of the show this season — anyone except chairman George McCaskey.
McCaskey and the Bears were able to hold HBO off since the debut of “Hard Knocks” in 2001, and he said last year, “We feel there are a number of teams that have compelling stories to tell.” He then clarified that the exact number of teams he’d rather see featured was 31.
At the league meeting in March, when the Bears were rumored to be the top choice this year, McCaskey smiled and said, “We’re told there is some interest in other teams being on the program. And we welcome that interest.”
They were a strong candidate a year ago, too, but HBO opted for the Jets and the chance to document the arrival of new quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
There are ways to be exempt from selection for the training camp edition of the show, of course, and one is for the team to have made the playoffs in either of the previous two seasons. Teams also could decline if they have a new head coach or were on the show within the last 10 years.
“Hard Knocks” began doing an in-season series in 2021 and debuted an offseason version this year, starting with the Giants. It’s unclear whether the 10-year rule applies to all forms of “Hard Knocks,” which is going division wide during the season with the AFC North, or just the training camp show.
When asked this year about his interest in the Bears, one of just 10 teams that hadn’t done “Hard Knocks” yet, being featured, team president Kevin Warren replied, “I have interests in making sure that the NFL stays strong and vibrant.”
But shows like this serve that mission. Every major sport has reality shows about its teams and players, and with streaming platforms thriving, that will only increase. For the Bears, it’s a long overdue step into the modern world.