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Leagues and Governing Bodies

NFL's First-Ever Draft Town Draws Big Crowds, While Goodell Still Faces Boo-Birds

When the NFL's Draft Town opened Thursday afternoon in Chicago, the fans "came in droves," and within minutes, the "transformed park was filled with thousands of football fans," according to Lolly Bowean of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. The event is a "first for both the NFL and the city of Chicago," and Draft Town "gives the NFL a new way to cultivate and keep fans before football season begins" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/1). Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said, "This has exceeded our highest expectations. This is larger than any sporting event except for the Super Bowl" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/1). ESPN CHICAGO's Jon Greenberg in describing Draft Town wrote to "imagine if an NFL commercial threw up on Grant Park." Greenberg: "Not that it was a bad thing, really. It was just very NFL." Spending the day in Draft Town "reiterated an immutable life lesson: The NFL, through its many trials and tribulations, is still No. 1." Visitors from "seemingly every fan base" were "enjoying their tangential relationship to the league." Greenberg: "While I’m pretty sure the city won’t come out ahead financially on this deal -- there were so many cops standing around the closed-off streets, you’d think 'crime is down' -- the event certainly worked to bring scores of fans to downtown Chicago. As far as I could tell, things worked pretty well, too. ... If the NFL brought the draft back next year, and the year after that, making it the football version of Lollapalooza, I wouldn’t complain" (ESPNCHICAGO.com, 4/30). In Chicago, David Haugh writes the opening night of the Draft "turned into an impressive three-hour nationally televised commercial" for the host city (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/1). NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “This was a great decision for us. It was a chance for us to re-invent the Draft, and the fans turned out. The city did a great job for us and we’re excited about the next couple of days." Addressing some players not attending the draft, he said, "They wanted to be with their families. That's not unusual. We've had that in the past and you respect that. ... The guys that were here had a blast. ... They've loved the city" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 5/1).

EASY BREEZY? In Chicago, Rick Telander writes it is "somewhat unbelievable that a business -- the NFL -- could commandeer huge swaths of a vibrant Midwest city, charge fees, take over public areas and make millions of dollars on ads and TV revenue just to show us who is going to work for it." Telander: "But we have no one to blame but ourselves" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 5/1). In Chicago, Channick & Sachdev note tapping into what was "already a huge television event, the NFL has turned this year's draft in Chicago into a sprawling festival, hoping to attract the hard-core football fan as well as families and the curious onlooker." Grant Park has been "transformed into an outdoor theme park celebrating football," and it is an "unusual experiment in sports marketing because the league is trying to generate fan excitement around an event that isn't a big game." Chicago "has a lot riding on the event," as it would "like to host the draft next year and beyond." But the city only "has a one-year deal with the NFL." The NFL is "open to a return engagement but said other cities already have expressed interest in hosting as well" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/1). Goodell said of future draft locations, "We've got a couple more days, but it clearly has already met a new level of success for us. ... We'll look at it in the next few weeks and try to make a determination whether we either stay here or go back to New York or go to some other cities" ("Mike & Mike," ESPN Radio, 5/1).

ROGER THAT: In Philadelphia, Sam Donnellon writes whether Goodell was outside in Draft Town "commencing the start of the draft, or announcing the 20th pick of the draft, the only wind" he felt "were the boos that greeted each of his podium appearances by fans who filled the Park, and the historic Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University." It "didn't help that he botched the pronunciation" of QB Marcus Mariota's name when he announced the Titans' second pick, and it "sure didn't help that the distracting fireworks that seemed imminent as the draft began never materialized, even as Tennessee ran its clock down to the last seconds before Goodell announced its selection" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 5/1). In DC, Cindy Boren wrote, "There were boos. So. Very. Many. Boos. They put to rest the notion that moving the draft from New York to Chicago might result in kinder, gentler treatment." The boos "may not have been as loud and lusty as they are in NYC, but Chicagoans made up for it with commitment." They were booing as "every single pick was announced." Goodell this year also "wasn't joking with fans the way he has in the past" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 4/30). THE MMQB's Andrew Brandt wrote Goodell "would have been greeted this way regardless of what happened over the past year," but there is "more ammunition this year than ever before." King: "The owners don’t need Roger Goodell to be popular. Rather, they need him to 1) oversee a successful and flourishing business venture, 2) provide leadership in difficult times, and 3) withstand blows that could otherwise be directed at them." Owners are "too aligned with their individual franchises to take national blame, which makes Goodell the natural and easy target." King: "I think Goodell could help himself if he were more open and transparent" (MMQB.SI.com, 4/30). 

QUEEN MARY: ESPNW.com's Sarah Spain noted much of the planning for relocation to Chicago fell to NFL VP/Events Mary Pat Augenthaler, who "has been working in NFL events for 20 years." But this is the "first time she's ever been put in charge of the draft" (ESPNW.com, 4/30). 

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