It’s A Hard Knock Life…

Last year, my wife and I got hooked on the HBO Sports series Hard Knocks that offered a behind-the-scenes look at the Kansas City Chiefs training camp.  As a football junkie, the series helped fuel an addiction for me, but we also both enjoyed following the stories of NFL rookies and journeymen trying to make the team and secure a job for the season.

Hard Knocks is back for another season, and this year, they follow the Dallas Cowboys.  The first episode featured the same high quality docu-drama of previous installments but, given the Dallas Cowboys’ worldwide fame and more popular superstars, wrapped it in a much more glamorous package.  My love for all things football overrides my dislike of the Dallas Cowboys, but I imagine that Cowboys haters will find it difficult to stomach it.  While Terrell Owens, the controversial wide receiver, is only a cog in the wheel of the series, his presence might be off-putting to some viewers as well.  But, as I like to say, come for the rookies and tolerate the superstars.  The real drama in this series comes from the maturation (hopefully) of the rookies and the perseverance of seasoned veteran second and third stringers to stick with it and try to land the starting role.

Hard Knocks airs Wednesday nights at 10 PM and replays throughout the week.