When it works, Hard Knocks makes viewers feel like they’re inside an NFL locker room, on the practice field and in the meetings during training camp. And part of that is hearing profanity. But not this year.
This season’s Hard Knocks, which chronicles training camp with the Bears, doesn’t include profanity because the family that owns the Bears doesn’t approve. Shannon Furman, the director of Hard Knocks, told CHGO that the McCaskey family doesn’t want to be associated with profanity so Hard Knocks isn’t airing it.
“I’ll be honest, this team curses much less than any other team I’ve been around, but it is out of respect for the McCaskey family,” Furman said. “It’s something that they don’t do and wouldn’t want to see it, so it’s kind of been a decision that was made out of respect for them letting us in their house and wanting to be respectful to them.”
The McCaskey family and the Bears don’t want to be a part of the show at all, and they only did it because the NFL forced it on them. But teams that aren’t willing to let the cameras and the microphones pick up everything are depriving viewers of an authentic training camp feel.