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NFL Hall of Fame Induction 2021: How, When To Watch Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson, Others Get Inducted

NFL Hall of Fame inductees who waited decades for their place in the Class of 2020 had to hold on a little while longer. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, last year’s ceremony was pushed to this year, meaning the already large 2020 Hall of Fame class joined the Class of 2021 this weekend. The combination makes for the largest group of honorees in a single year with 28 total. The Class of 2020 had its ceremony yesterday. But NFL fans will undoubtedly want to see Peyton Manning and his Class of 2021 company accept the honor on Sunday.

If not for the inductions themselves, then certainly for Manning’s speech. The all-time quarterback is hilarious, as fans of earlier installments of “Capital One’s The Match” can attest. He’s worth the price of admission.

So how does one go about watching the 2021 NFL Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony? Well, the festivities kick off today, August 8, at 7:00 p.m. ET. There is a pre-show that features programming led by Michael Irvin and Kurt Warner beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET.

For those trying to catch the live television broadcast, the only option is NFL Network. On the streaming side of things, the NFL app will provide access, as will the NFL website. FuboTV is the only other streaming option for those interested in watching. Rich Eisen and Steve Wyche are set to host the main event.

The Class of 2021 features eight total inductees, the most familiar of them being Peyton Manning. Filling out the rest of the class includes Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson, John Lynch, and others. However, the Class of 2021 pales in comparison to the number of people in the ceremony on Saturday.

In honor of the NFL’s 100 years, the Class of 2020 was expanded and boasted a total of 20 inductees.

The NFL Pre-Season is Underway and Not Many Tuned in for the First Game

On Thursday, the NFL preseason officially kicked off with a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys. The viewership ratings were less than spectacular, holding with the trend we’ve seen from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Though, poor pre-season NFL numbers aren’t overly concerning. After all, the games are a glorified extension of training camp and essentially exist as tryouts for players on the bubbles of 53-man rosters. Viewers are lucky to see their teams’ starting skill position players on a few snaps if any.

Two of the Thursday matchup’s biggest draws didn’t even play. Ben Roethlisberger and Dak Prescott, quarterbacks for the Steelers and Cowboys, respectively, were not dressed for the game. With the star attractions on the sideline, the viewership ratings don’t come as much of a surprise.

The 2021 season does mark the first year that the NFL will go down to three pre-season games. It will be interesting to see if that has any effect on the viewership moving forward.