The city of Chicago last week was selected as host for the '15 NFL Draft after Bears Chair George McCaskey pursued the event "like it was the next-best thing to his team picking last in the first round," according to David Haugh of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. But Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's "fervor for the project matched McCaskey's." Whether it was "calling NFL owners such as Jerry Richardson of the Panthers or lobbying Commissioner Roger Goodell" in his N.Y. office, Emanuel "relentlessly executed a game plan he first revealed in February." Emanuel and McCaskey "formed an unlikely but lethal 1-2 combination." SportsCorp President Marc Ganis said, "It's two nights of prime-time programming when they're going to show a tremendous amount of Chicago." Ganis added of Chicago being chosen over L.A., "No. 1 you had an NFL team whose ownership pushed hard -- George McCaskey did a lot of the lifting -- and there is no owner in L.A. And No. 2 the feeling is it will be a bigger event here than in L.A." Haugh wrote in "reality, Chicago simply had geography L.A. couldn't match." The opportunity for "everyone to enjoy the open spaces of Grant Park during a draft festival similar to the NFL Experience at the Super Bowl swung momentum in Chicago's favor." Plans include "giant video boards and places where past, present and future NFL players will sign autographs during draft week." A red carpet also will be "rolled out along Michigan Avenue." The Draft will be held on the campus of Roosevelt Univ., where the "intimacy of the 3,929-seat Auditorium Theatre, about 2,000 seats smaller than Radio City Music Hall, completed the ideal picture for a league looking to produce the ultimate reality-TV show" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/5).
THE MAYOR'S OFFICE: THE MMQB's Peter King cites sources as saying that Emanuel "was the driving force behind Chicago's bid." Emanuel said of his discussions with Goodell, "I called him quite a bit. I think Roger's going to change his cell number, he's heard from me so much." Emanuel said of the impact the Draft will have on Chicago, "What better way to showcase our great city in front of 50 million TV viewers at the end of April, when nothing else is really going on?" (MMQB.SI.com, 10/6).
SECOND CITY, NOT SECOND FIDDLE: In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal wrote, "It's time for Roger Goodell and company to see how our city really plays." Rosenthal: "We have no illusions that Goodell and the good ol' boys of pro football will be kicked around like just another enterprise looking to set up shop in The City That Works You Over." But the NFL "has been staggered by setbacks of late, suddenly penalized for playing as it always has." Chicago also "desperately needs a victory after several subpar seasons marked by costly error-plagued losses, such as a misguided matchup" with the IOC in which it was "never really competitive" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/4).
PLANNING TO MIX THINGS UP: Patriots President Jonathan Kraft said the NFL will “experiment with different ways" of making the second, and especially the third day of the Draft "much more interesting and engaging.” In Boston, Ben Volin noted Kraft "declined to provide details" on the changes. Meanwhile, Kraft "made it sound as if the scouting combine, held in late February each year, will be presented more as a reality TV show in the future, with the league focusing as much on off-field personalities as workout results." The league also will "ramp up its free agency coverage." Kraft: “You’ll see the combine start to be a place where more data comes out and you learn more about the players” (
BOSTON GLOBE, 10/5).
INVITATION TO THE GARDEN PARTY? In N.Y., Gary Myers reported the '16 Draft "could be back" in the city if MSG Chair James Dolan "cooperates." The NFL had "every intention to hold it at Radio City in 2015 until it was informed it was not available next spring." The NFL "considers Radio City the only viable venue in Manhattan" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/5).
