Started in 2001 with the Baltimore Ravens, the “Hard Knocks” franchise has been one of the biggest NFL programs every year, giving fans unequaled access into the life of an NFL team and its players.
This season the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be on the field for the 14 time Emmy Award winning HBO show, now in its twelfth year of production.
HARD KNOCKS wins new fans to the sport of football every year because its themes are universal: a show about hope, adversity, team-building, tough decisions and players who are trying to fit in while also trying to stand out, says Peter Nelson, executive vice president, HBO Sports. The partnership between HBO Sports and NFL FILMS dates back to the 1970s, and we at HBO are honored to continue that decades-old tradition with a fresh team making its HARD KNOCKS debut. We are grateful to the Glazer family and everyone with the Buccaneers franchise for allowing us the freedom to chronicle what promises to be an intriguing training camp experience in Tampa Bay.
The Bucs young, but quickly improving team is what attracted the franchise to the team. After a 9-7 season, one in which they almost made the playoffs, it seemed to be a natural fit for the show.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have everything we look for when it comes to HARD KNOCKS: a young, dynamic team filled with big names; an experienced coaching staff focused on taking their squad to the next level; and high expectations in a division that has represented the NFC in the past two Super Bowls, says NFL Films senior executive Ross Ketover. Our sincere thanks go out to the Glazer family and the entire Buccaneers organization, as well as our longtime partners and friends at HBO Sports. Our goal is to eventually feature every NFL franchise on a season of HARD KNOCKS, so we are thrilled with the opportunity to showcase a team for the first time and show football fans everywhere what the Buccaneers are all about.
Per the press release:
HARD KNOCKS launched with the Baltimore Ravens in 2001, followed by the Dallas Cowboys in 2002, and resumed in 2007 with the Kansas City Chiefs, subsequently spotlighting the Cowboys (2008), Cincinnati Bengals (2009), New York Jets (2010), Miami Dolphins (2012), Bengals (2013), Atlanta Falcons (2014) and Houston Texans (2015). The 2016 edition, chronicling the return of the Los Angeles Rams to southern California, has been nominated for four Sports Emmy Awards for production excellence. Winners will be announced May 9.
Six of the last seven teams featured on HARD KNOCKS have equaled or improved their win-loss record in the regular season. Teams who have recently earned playoff berths immediately following their appearance on HARD KNOCKS include the Bengals (2009, 2013), Jets (2010) and Houston Texans (2015).
HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP WITH THE TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS will be narrated by Liev Schreiber and debuts on HBO on Tuesday August 8th at 10pm EST/PST.
