Don’t Watch

Just recently, the National Football League (NFL) held its annual draft. Through seven rounds, teams picked their players for the upcoming season. Each and every year, this is shown live on TV for viewers to watch to their hearts’ content.

I am never among these viewers. The draft takes two days, and each viewing lasts hours. It gives detailed information about prospective players and shows the moments each team makes its picks. Let’s not talk about the abundance of commercials that make the program last even longer.

Not only can interested parties find the year’s draft picks nearly anywhere on the Internet after the broadcast, the NFL has an entire section of its website dedicated to listing these new players. If a person wants to find more information about a new recruit, the site shows their weight and height, college and what pick they were in the draft, among other information.

That’s not all, though. People can also watch short videos (approximately three minutes) showing when each player was selected. Most fans only really care about their team’s picks, so this is an easier and much quicker way to check out who they’ve added to the roster.

It is a waste of time to dedicate two days for sitting in front of the TV to find out who you’re going to be seeing on the field in a few short months.

It’s a safe bet your football-loving friends will have all the details anyway, so why not do something more productive — or at least more fun — with your time and just wait to get the lowdown from them?

— Erica Jones, Chief Copy Editor

Watch

The NFL is the most popular sports league in the U.S. and the top dog on television with about 16 million people watching a typical game, according to ESPN. After the Super Bowl in

February, America’s most watched sporting event in 2016, fans of their beloved sport are left waiting for their next fix of football.

This time of year, many football fans direct their attention to the NFL’s next season and what new players from the college level will be joining the league and their favorite team.

This process includes the NFL Scouting Combine, held every February where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of NFL scouts and coaches during a week-long showcase.

These spring months of preparation culminate to the NFL Draft, where young male athletes’ dreams come true and their lives are forever altered as they are selected by one of the 32 teams. The formation of lifelong aspirations for athletes coupled with the anticipation of football fanatics make the NFL Draft a TV juggernaut. Thursday night’s opening round accumulated a combined 9.2 million viewers, according to CNNMoney; surely TV-worthy.

Not only does the NFL Draft help fans get to know the players who will be helping their team in the future, it also provides an element of unpredictability that adds to the excitement. The uncertainty surrounding every pick and every move has ESPN’s host for the draft, Trey Wingo, calling it “the truest reality television there is.”

The draft has evolved into a multi-day fan festival that brings in massive amounts of money. The 2017 NFL Draft was held on the “Rocky” steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where a positive impact on the local economy is expected. The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau anticipates more than $80 million to come into its city.

A study by Choose Chicago found the 2015 Draft brought in more than $81 million to the city of Chicago, so that projection is not inconceivable. The 2017 event is projected to support more than 26,000 jobs and result in more than 39,000 hotel room bookings.

Keeping in mind the sport’s major following, the excitement, suspense and revenue production, the NFL Draft is a must-see television program.

— Scott Procter, Freelance Writer