CANTON, Ohio — The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers will kick off the NFL preseason on Thursday August 6 in Canton, Ohio. The two teams will play at Tom Benson Stadium for the Pro Football Hall of Fame game.
- Tickets to the game are already sold out
- The game is part of Enshrinement Week and draws hundreds of thousands of people to the city each year
- The Hall of Fame is making changes to keep fans and visitors safe
What You Need To Know
"Every year the NFL kicks off their season right here in Canton, Ohio and we have surrounded that with an enshrinement festival. There's 23 events over 17 days. There's a whole lot of people who descend upon this place and it's the enshrinement of our class for that year and the Pro Football Hall of Fame," said David Baker, President/CEO, Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Tickets for the game at the 23,000 seat stadium are already sold out.
Baker says they will be making changes to keep fans and visitors safe.
"We're working with all the other sports as well as the National Football League to say how can we do this in a safe fashion and still have that thing that we love, which is the celebration of excellence. It will certainly depend upon healthcare professionals and political leaders, but we plan on doing it in a very safe way and we wouldn't do it otherwise," said Baker.
The Stark County Convention & Visitors' Bureau says Enshrinement Week draws hundreds of thousands of people to the city every year. In the past, Canton and Stark County saw a $26.7 million economic boom, while more than $48 million benefitted the State of Ohio.
"They are overnighting in our hotels, you know, filling up in gas stations, eating out at restaurants, looking for other activities and entertainment to do. It's a week of entertainment and events that they are all attending and frequenting our businesses here in the community. So it is the significant impact of not only the visitor spending but also the media exposure over the course of that," said Tonja Marshall, executive director of marketing and communications, Stark County Convention & Visitors' Bureau.
While the NFL is planning for the upcoming season to go on as scheduled, folks at the Pro Football Hall of Fame says they are prepared, no matter what happens.
"We're going to be ready and we're planning on moving forward and I think that there's an opportunity for Ohio to do something that shows the rest of the nation how to do things responsibly. It's a really, really big deal. We're going to make sure it stays a big deal, whenever that happens," said Baker.