WAY OT: Long rant....Sorry Chicago, worst draft ever

[Goose85]

If a lot of people came out for the NFL experience stuff, like they do at baseball all star game, then I would think the NFL continues the road show combined with the draft.

[BLT]

Was in Grant Park venue last night and it was fun. Giant beer hall tent with huge screens, a midway with a tent for each team, vendors. Basically it was a FanFest and a reason to be outside in the Spring. Did not attend the draft in the Auditorium but that sold out a long time ago. Like Sweetest Day, it is a commercially created holiday.

As to holding it in NYC or Chicago, I view the live event like attending your kid's swim meet. You sit idly by for four hours and only care for the 30 seconds your kid swims the 50 Free. Is the live event that exciting to pay that kind of money?

[IrwinFletcher]

From the Tribune today:

Thursday night drew 50,000 people to "Draft Town". Retail sales from the first night eclipsed the combined take from 3 nights in New York.

Ratings - Game 6 Bulls/Bucks in Chicago drew a 10.7 rating vs the draft which drew a 6.1. Nationally, the draft drew 8.8 million viewers, making it a top 10 program for the week.

[Gato78]

Cousin of mine has NFL ties. He said first hour of the draft is watched by a decent number. All of the advertising is geared around that first hour. Thereafter it trails off. I think the three day is to try to generate first hour viewers. I am sure this is mostly to deliver content for NFL Network

[Goose85]

when did they start charging to go to the draft? Sounds like the NFL did well with this. I still like the Sat -Sun format, but if this allows you to sell beer, they will continue as it sounds successful.

[TheSultan]

I understand what you are saying, and the networks must be seeing that to extend to 3 days (or they have nothing else) but I continually think the NFL is overestimating their ability to saturate the market with more product and get people to continue to watch.

In the past I always watched Day 1 (on Sat) of the NFL draft. I would actually get together with others and have friendly wagers on who would have the most right, when first Badger would go, who the Pack would pick, etc. I don't watch it as much now with the Thursday, and don't expect to watch much of the second round on its own day.

Similar to the Thursday night NFL games (I actually have nothing against Thursday night - ha). I really liked it when Thursday night football was a chance for the other 5 FBS conferences and schools like Boise State, Nevada, MAC schools, CUSA, etc to get their TV game. That worked so well that what is now the Big 5 wanted in. Before long the NFL now has games on Thursday. I will watch the college game over the pro game on Thursday.

I know betting and fantasy football play a big role, but is the NFL giving fans too much product? I used to always watch Monday Night Football, and it almost didn't matter who was playing. Now by Monday there have been so many games (Thursday - Sunday noon - Sunday 3pm - Sunday night) I find I've already gotten my weekend football fix and no longer look forward to Monday night (unless the Pack play).

I may be in the minority, but I think the NFL is providing too much content which is why I liked the draft on a Sat (rounds 1 and 2) and Thursday night football to be the other 5 FBS games. Same reason I don't listen to Homer's radio show, it's Packers and NFL football almost every day of the year. I love football, but enjoy talking about other sports too.

If people are watching, there really isn't such a thing as "too much content." That's why every Marquette game is on television now.

[MUWhistler]

Looks like the early indiciations are that the draft in Chicago was a big success and that it will be travelling in the future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/sp...=football&_r=0

[WarriorNich]

To sit down and watch intently for 3 hours in prime time, the draft is not good. It's great to have on in the background and when "The pick is in" everyone stops what they were doing, watch for 10 sec, then go back to what they were doing. Under the old 3 round Saturday format I used to get together with the guys, play cards, drink beer, eat pizza and have the draft on in the background. I've also been at family functions where the draft has been on as background. Terribly boring to watch as a focal point but when the pick is in or they interview a draft pick, coach or GM for your team you pay attention.

The Jets, Eagles, and Giants fans all made for part of the experience. The J-E-T-S chants and obnoxiousness of Jets fans, the quiet class of the Giants fans,the boorish Eagle fans...all in large numbers with geographic rivalries...the overall disdain of the Raiders...the forlorn Browns fan in dog pound costume, head down after another bad Browns pick, wondering "I came all the way from Cleveland for this?"...all part of the experience that is slowly slipping away. The NFL has definitely hit the saturation point for me.

Another reason why the Thur-Fri-Sat format is stupid: draft parties. I remember a few years ago the Badgers had Peter Konz projected to be a late 1st round pick and Kevin Zeitler projected to go 2nd round. So Konz has his draft party on Thur and Zeitler had his Fri. Konz wasn't drafted until the 2nd round on Fri so his party must've been a bit of a let down. Meanwhile Zeitler is surprisingly picked late 1st by the Bengals. So he flies down to Cincy Friday for all the draft pick stuff, meet coaches, media interviews, etc....and misses his own draft party!

BTW: Why are Christian Ponder and Mark Sanchez better than Aaron Rodgers? Because last year both successfully completed their TD passes to Julius Peppers.

[TheSultan]

Looks like the early indiciations are that the draft in Chicago was a big success and that it will be travelling in the future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/sp...=football&_r=0

"On Thursday and Friday, 110,000 people visited Draft Town, the free fan festival in Grant Park across the street from the theater where the draft was held. On Saturday, larger crowds were expected when selections in the fourth through seventh rounds were announced at the festival. The crowds far exceeded the league’s original estimates.

Many fans who came to Chicago were from N.F.L. cities within driving distance — Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minneapolis and St. Louis — giving the draft a Midwestern feel."


So it seems to me that you have those (such as IWB and Nich) that miss the traditions of the New York draft because they experienced them and enjoyed them. But this "new way" of doing things was a way to open the door to more people, and sacrificed traditions as a side-effect.

[TheSultan]

BTW, here is another reason why it won't switch back from the Thursday - Saturday format.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/stor...medium=twitter

"The growth of the NFL Draft into a ratings bonanza has been well documented. In 2001, ESPN earned a 2.1 rating for Day 1 coverage of the event. That grew a full point to 3.1 by 2004 and to 3.8 by 2006. After a three-year lull from 2007-09, the NFL’s decision to move Day 1 to a Thursday night sent the numbers soaring again. ESPN’s ratings boomed to a 4.6 in 2010 and then a 6.1 last year, with NFL Network’s simulcast adding an extra 0.7 and 1.5, respectively.

In the span of just 13 years, ratings for Day 1 of the draft grew a whopping 262 percent — from 2001’s middling 2.1 to last year’s approximate 7.6."