On the same day the NFL lockout resulted in the cancellation of the league’s Hall of Fame Game, owners voted to approve a new labor deal that may or may not bring an end to the work stoppage.
NFL owners voted to approve a new, ten-year collective bargaining agreement Thursday. Should the NFL Players Association approve the deal, the new league year would begin Wednesday afternoon, and the first preseason games would take place on August 11 (charlotteobserver.com, 7/21).
The NFLPA did not vote on the deal Thursday night. In an email sent to players, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said there was “no agreement between the NFL and the players at this time” (cbssports.com, 7/21).
Even if the players approve the deal, the lockout will still result in at least one cancellation. The Rams/Bears NFL Hall of Fame Game, which was to air on NBC, was canceled on Thursday. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell cited the lack of time before the game’s scheduled August 7 date.
Though not nearly as big of a television draw as the typical NFL regular season game, the Hall of Fame Game usually draws solid-to-strong numbers. Last year’s game earned a 6.8 final rating and 11.438 million viewers, earning more viewers than this year’s MLB All-Star Game on FOX (6.9, 10.973M), and recent NBC events such as the final round of the U.S. Open (4.5, 7.369M) and Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final (4.8, 8.540M).
(Information from nfl.com; Associated Press via charlotteobserver.com; Associated Press via forbes.com)
