$800 million 'Disneyland' for football will open in 2020, NFL Hall of Fame pres. says
With the 98th NFL season revving up, Hall of Fame President David Baker had some exciting news as he announced an $800 million football project coming in 2020 for the NFL’s 100th season.
“We’re building an $800 million mixed use, kind of a Disneyland for football if you will, at Johnson Controls Hall of Fame village,” Baker told the FOX Business Network Thursday. “It’s going to be in preparation for the NFL’s 100th season that will begin in two years and then we’ll have the centennial celebration at the NFL on September 17th in 2020.”
As the NFL prepares for its 100th year, Baker addressed how the sport has changed and continues to change, especially in light of increasing safety concerns over the extent of players’ brain damage later in life.
“I think the game has changed and I think the game should change, it’s always evolving. I mean we believe you make it safer by rule changes, by equipment changes, by health protocol,” Baker said.
There has been much speculation over whether O.J. Simpson, who is a Hall of Famer, will make an appearance at this year’s pro-football induction ceremony on August 5th now that he has been granted parole.
“Since [O.J. Simpson] was enshrined in 1985, he hasn’t come back once…There is a part of me personally that would like to sit down and talk to him as a man. I think my Hall of Famers aren’t any different, they’re the most elite, most competitive team in the world and they keep each other accountable and so I’d say there are a lot of them that would like to talk to him as well.”