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Rams Coach Sean McVay Reveals Why Teams Avoid HBO's 'Hard Knocks'

Speaking at the Variety Sportico Summit, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay revealed why he believes teams are hesitant to go on HBO's hit show "Hard Knocks"

Jon Alfano

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HBO's hit series "Hard Knocks" has become a massive hit since its debut in 2001, yet it seems that teams want nothing to do with it anymore.

This offseason, the NFL struggled to find a team willing to appear on the show. The league eventually selected the New York Jets as the show's subject this season, but they don't seem very happy about it. Newly-acquired star quarterback Aaron Rodgers said the league "forced it down our throats," and head coach Robert Saleh shared a similar sentiment.

"I haven't gotten word or anything like that. I know there's several teams that would love for 'Hard Knocks' to be in their building, but we're just not one of them," Saleh said last month via ESPN.

The question is, why are teams now so averse to appearing on the hit show? According to Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay, it has to do with the show revealing valuable information about its subject team, which creates a competitive disadvantage when the games actually come around.

“I think the first thing is, when you play in a league that’s so competitive – 32 teams in the league – information is at a premium so you just want to be mindful of not having anything that gives anybody a competitive advantage,” McVay said at the Variety Sportico Summit. “You’re always looking for your edges and your margins and just the seamless thing of being able to pick up somebody on their cadence and some of the verbiage and vernacular that can maybe give the opposing team an advantage."

McVay knows a thing or two about "Hard Knocks," as his Rams appeared on the show in 2020 alongside the Los Angeles Chargers. This marked the Rams' second appearance on the show in five years, as they also appeared in 2016, the final year of coach Jeff Fisher's tenure.

Additionally, McVay believes that the presence of so many cameras creates unnecessary distractions. He recalled his time on the show, which was already chaotic due to the pandemic, and how it created a negative impact in the team's facilities.

"I'll tell you, we did 'Hard Knocks' during COVID, and there was a lot of different issues that were going on just relative to what we were dealing with in society," McVay said. "When you have a camera on, is it as authentic as it could be when you know someone’s listening? As opposed to being able to have that real, authentic, true interpersonal interaction."

McVay and the Rams won't have to deal with the pressure of being on "Hard Knocks" this year, but Saleh and the Jets weren't so lucky.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

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