Canton copes with loss of game

Associated Press

CANTON

Workers assembled the metal framework for outdoor tents in the parking lot of the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Friday, getting ready for its big enshrinement weekend — one that won’t include a game for the first time in 45 years.

It’s much more than just a lost preseason game for the Ohio community with deep football roots.

The labor dispute between NFL owners and players forced the league to call off the annual Hall of Fame game between Chicago and St. Louis scheduled for Aug. 7.

Everything else will go as planned, including the enshrinement on Aug. 6.

It’s a financial blow to the Hall of Fame, which could lose about $1.5 million out of its $20 million annual operating budget. And it’s a big loss for the community, which gets more than just a financial boost from the event.

Pride also comes into play.

“We’re such a football community,” said Joanne Murray, director of the Hall of Fame festival for the local Chamber of Commerce. “From the staff to the man on the street, I doubt you’d find a single person who would say they’re not disappointed.”

The Hall of Fame game started in 1962, a year before the building opened. There was no game in 1966, but it has been played every year since.

Last year, nearly 20,000 tickets were sold for the enshrinement. The 22,000-seat stadium was packed for a game between Dallas and Cincinnati. An estimated 6 million people watched the enshrinement on television, and the game turned out to be one of the highest-rated shows of the week with 11.4 million viewers.

The Hall of Fame gets ticket and merchandise sales from the game, plus increased visits to the museum.