fans in the stadium only learned of the pending cancellation via social media, and no official announcement was made until just before the scheduled 8 p.m. kickoff, which was greeted by boos and jeering. The next year in , the game was moved to Thursday night, making it the first event of the Hall of Fame weekend. This change has been maintained since. Holding the game prior to the ceremony allows for safer field conditions. Immediately following the game, the stage and seating area for the Hall of Fame ceremony are erected in the stadium. The game in —which was scheduled to be played between the Cowboys and the Steelers—as well as all other preseason games, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The matchup was held over for the 2021 game. Television and radio Unlike the majority of NFL preseason games, which air on local television stations, the Hall of Fame Game airs nationwide. From to , the game was held on Monday night, televised as part of ABC's Monday Night Football package. It had previously been held typically on Saturday afternoons, except from 1963 to 1965 on Sunday afternoons, televised as part of ABC's Wide World of Sports package (still using the MNF crew). In 1998, the game was put in the MNF package, and played on a Saturday night, which served as a test run for the move to Monday night. Since , the game has largely aired on NBC as part of the Sunday Night Football package (which replaced MNF as the NFL's flagship primetime broadcast that season), except in 2007 (due to NBC planning to air the China Bowl preseason game in Beijing, which was postponed and ultimately cancelled), and in all Summer Olympics years (2008, 2012, 2016, 2021, 2024, 2028 and 2032) due to NBC's coverage of the Games. In these years, the game has been sold to one of the NFL's other media partners, such as NFL Network (under Thursday Night Football), ESPN (under the current iteration of Monday Night Football), and most recently Fox. Game history Notes Appearances Most appearances 7 – Dallas Cowboys (1968, 1979, 1999, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2021) 7 – Pittsburgh Steelers (1963, 1964, 1983, 1998, 2007, 2015, and 2021) Fewest appearances 1 – Baltimore Ravens (2018) 1 – Carolina Panthers (1995) 1 – Houston Texans (2002) Most wins 5 – Washington Redskins/Commanders (1965, 1975, 1989, 2004, 2008) Longest