Hall of Fame weekend still on schedule ... with fans

The coronavirus pandemic has seemingly shut down everything deemed non-essential since mid-March, and that includes the sports world. Among the entities who shut their doors was the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. On Tuesday the Hall of Fame opened its doors since March 16, but fans are wondering about the events scheduled this summer.

Mainly the Hall of Fame inductions, and the Hall of Fame Game between the Steelers and Cowboys.

For fans who purchased tickets, the good news is that Hall of Fame weekend, August 6-8, remains on as scheduled.

“One of the things we’re hoping for, and that we’re willing to do, is to almost be the test case for the NFL,” Rich Desrosiers, VP of communications for the Hall of Fame, told Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com. "Give us the green light, and we’ll show folks how it can be done safely for fans, safely for participants and safely for the employees here. We feel very positive about the prospects of this happening in early August.”

A lot can change between now and August, but as of now the Hall of Fame seems determined to not just host the events on schedule, but to have fans in attendance. Considering the two teams scheduled to play in the preseason game, and the big names, like Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell, getting inducted, tickets sold quickly for the weekend festivities.

What needs to happen next? The NFL needs to get their players back on the field, something which is currently in the works for upcoming training camps, and the state of Ohio would have to be on board with having fans in attendance at an event like the Hall of Fame weekend. The state of Ohio currently isn't opening any of their sports stadiums for events of any kind.

According to the report, July 1 is the soft deadline for the Hall of Fame, NFL and state of Ohio to come to a conclusion over the events. It is important to note the Hall of Fame has contingency plans if things need to be adjusted or re-scheduled.