It was only the preseason, but the Hall of Fame Game, which opened the 2015 preseason on Sunday night, drew more than impressive TV ratings.
Not only did it post the highest overnight rating of any preseason game in nearly three years, but its overnight rating was also higher than many prominent and -- let's be honest -- more important sporting events that were played in the past 12 months.
The game drew a 6.9 overnight rating, even though Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (among many other stars) didn't even make on-field appearances.
As Pro Football Talk noted, that 6.9 rating is a higher overnight rating than Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, Game 1 of both the NBA Eastern and Western Conference finals, the Indy 500 and Game 1 of both the American League and National League Championship Series.
Meanwhile, just last month, Packers president Mark Murphy admitted that the NFL has "an issue" with the preseason, namely that it's too long. He then noted the reason why they can't simply slice a game off of the preseason is because of the "loss of revenue that comes with that."
TV ratings like Sunday night, all for a meaningless preseason game, might just prove Murphy's point. If an NFL game is played -- regardless if it's the preseason or the regular season -- fans will watch.
