Every NFL City Should Host the Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft is right around the corner and the city of Chicago will be hosting the event again after doing a great job in 2015. But the time has come to put the draft on a revolving basis where each team’s host city should hold the draft. In fact, the time is long overdue.
The annual event had been held in Chicago in the past, back in 1938, 1942-44, 1951, and 1962-64. The league had been holding it in New York City at Radio City Music Hall for decades. It has become one of the biggest events of the year and is tuned in by millions of fans across the globe.
But after 51 years, Radio City Music Hall pulled the rug out from under the league and Commissioner Roger Goodell, moving the event back a full two weeks in 2014, due to a conflict with the Rockettes. This caused the league to rethink its location and Chicago was chosen to host the event in 2015 and once again this season.
If the NFL really wanted to get behind the fans of all 32 teams, they could rotate both the NFL Combine and the Draft to each franchise so that every team’s hometown fans could enjoy the event and be able to host it.
Boston would go crazy over the event and it would be guaranteed to be a huge smash. It wouldn’t be that hard to put together and each host city would have plenty of time to ensure that the event would be enjoyed by all.
After the fallout from 2014, seven cities put in bids to host the draft. The list includes New Orleans, Boston, Philadelphia, Orlando, Chicago, Los Angeles and Canton, Ohio. Los Angeles at the time didn’t have a franchise, neither does Orlando but it is home to some of the most lavish facilities due to its proximity to Disney and Universal. Canton is home to the NFL Hall of Fame.
Moving the draft from year-to-year to different franchise cities would give a different feel to it every year and would be a chance for each to showcase a little of what it can offer to the spectacle that has become the NFL Draft.
For most fans, as long as it is televised, and they can watch it unfold, they’re fine with it. But from a die-hard fan perspective, being on site for watch the first-round unfold is certainly something worth crossing off on the NFL fan bucket list.
The television ratings will continue to improve as the Draft seemingly gets bigger each year. But as Goodell is always saying, they’re looking to expand the game and bring it to more people. Imagine everyone from the Northeast flocking to Garden for an NFL Draft. It would be great for the city, and the fans up here. As it would for 31 other team’s fan bases when they host it.
C’mon Roger, do something right for a change. Put the NFL Draft on a rotational basis and let fans from every city host the event.
The 2018 NFL Draft in Boston, Massachusetts has a nice ring to it.
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A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)
