After several teams declined to appear and many questions about why any team would want to do it, we finally know who will appear on this summer’s installment of Hard Knocks: The Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins announced today that they have agreed to appear on the HBO series that chronicles one NFL team’s training camp. The show will air weekly, beginning on Tuesday, August 7.
From a business perspective, the move makes sense: As local interest in the team has waned, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has made clear that he wants his team to generate more buzz. The team that appears on Hard Knocks is always one of the most-discussed teams in the NFL in August.
And from a storytelling perspective, the producers of Hard Knocks will find plenty of storylines to explore, such as new coach Joe Philbin running a training camp for the first time and a three-man quarterback competition featuring incumbent Matt Moore, first-round draft pick Ryan Tannehill and free agent signing David Garrard all in the mix.
The biggest question, however, is whether the Dolphins are interesting enough for many football fans to care about their training camp. Coming off three straight losing seasons, the Dolphins aren’t one of the league’s marquee teams. That makes this announcement something of a surprise.