After an ugly situation in 2016, the Pro Football Hall of Fame has decided to make a major change to the schedule of events for the its 2017 induction ceremony.
Instead of playing the Hall of Fame game on a Sunday next year, the game will now be held on a Thursday. That means the Hall of Fame game, which officially kicks off the NFL preseason, will be the first event of induction weekend, instead of the final event.
The 2017 version of the game will kick off on Thursday, Aug. 3.
Although the Hall of Fame didn't explain why they moved the game, the move definitely makes sense. For one, it puts all the focus on the enshrinement ceremony, which is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 5. The second reason the move makes sense is because it means they probably won't have to cancel the game.
The 2016 version of the game between the Colts and the Packers was canceled in August due to poor playing conditions on the field.
The field gets beat up during enshrinement weekend, so it wasn't a surprise that a game finally got canceled. In the past, the stadium in Canton, Ohio would host the enshrinement ceremony on Saturday night and then the game on Sunday. However, that won't happen in 2017 since the game has been moved to Thursday.
The list of 15 modern-era finalists for the 2017 Hall of Fame class will be announced on Jan. 3. After that, the Hall's 48-member Selection Committee will vote in up to eight members to make up the class of 2017. The winners of the vote will be announced in television special set to air on Feb. 4, the day before Super Bowl LI.
