49ers General Manager John Lynch said recently that he doesn’t want the 49ers to be on Hard Knocks this summer, although they may not wind up with a choice as they are one of six teams that can be compelled to participate by the league.
The G.M. of another one of the teams in that group is less negative about the possibility of inviting NFL Films to document their time at training camp. Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco admitted that the prospect of cameras and microphones around every corner isn’t his favorite idea, but said that he could see some upside to having the Chargers on HBO.
“We have a really good relationship with NFL Films and Ross Ketover and his staff, they do really excellent work,” Telesco said, via ESPN.com. “And that show is really good because they give great access. Am I comfortable asking our players and coaches to work every day with microphones and cameras on them? Not entirely; I just think that people work differently when you’re under the microscope like that being filmed. But that all being said, there’s some benefits beyond football to being on that show, and we’re pretty adaptable people here. If it so happens that we do it, then we’ll make it work and we’ll adapt to it. We shall see.”
Given the lack of a home-field advantage at StubHub Center and the need to sell more tickets for the stadium they will share with the Rams, it would seem likely that one of the potential benefits would be a boost to the size of their fan base.