Author: Cole Wisnefski
Topic: NFL Draft Popularity
Last April, roughly 775,000 fans poured into Detroit for the NFL draft. Pulling in crowds that large for a draft is unheard of, even by NFL standards. Over three-quarters of a million people gave up their weekend, starting on Thursday, to watch the draft in person – not to mention another 12.1 million people who tuned into the first round on TV. So why do so many people pay attention to the NFL draft while leagues like the NBA, NHL, and MLB are all in their regular seasons? The reason is that the NFL has developed the perfect offseason entertainment plan to keep fans engaged even when no football is being played.
It all starts with the incredible job the NFL does during the regular season. They dominate other sports leagues in viewership numbers, and for good reason. The league perfectly caters to the fan viewing experience. They put extra effort into “primetime” games where the production quality increases significantly. They have commentators everywhere, pre- and post-game shows, new graphics for every game, and so much more. There is also NFL RedZone which allows fans to watch the live highlights of every game for seven hours without commercials. Redzone specifically caters to fans who play fantasy football, which is another way the NFL gets fans engaged. Fantasy football allows fans to cheer for superstars across the league, and not just for their favorite team, which increases the attention that fans give the game. So if the NFL is so popular during the season, one might assume that they lose some attention during the offseason…?
This is true, but the NFL does not go away like most sports leagues do. One month after the Super Bowl, the offseason officially kicks off with free agency. This is the time period when NFL teams are allowed to sign players who are not under contract with another team. The day free agency started, the NFL media and fans crashed X – formerly known as Twitter. Their online presence was too much for a leading social media company to handle. Free agency technically has nothing to do with the draft as no college players are being signed, but it still signifies the start of the pre-draft period. Next, the NFL hosts the Draft Combine, which is a broadcasted event where the top college prospects complete measurements and drills for scouts to evaluate. According to NFL media, 5.1 million people tuned in across the four-day event. This event begins to raise the hype around the draft as it’s the first time fans get to see draft-eligible players since their last college games. After the combine, the NFL launches its pre-draft media hype campaign.
Every single day, for nearly a month straight, the NFL media talks about the draft. They do in-depth analysis of every team, every player, and every pick through articles, TV segments, and mock drafts. It’s overwhelming how much content the pre draft hype produces, but it gets fans engaged and excited for the draft. Fan hype is exactly how the NFL gets those staggering viewership numbers for the draft. The actual draft is a spectacle itself. Fans pile into a giant amphitheater where they watch as each team selects their pick. There is food and activities spread around the draft for families and children to enjoy. The broadcast of the draft is well produced and they have cameras covering all of the players. The NFL has perfected the formula to make even the offseason entertaining. Through its elite marketing and production strategy, the NFL has turned the Draft into a massive event generating revenue even while their players are resting.
No other sports league has been able to do this during their offseasons. The NBA draft is the next biggest, but even that pales in comparison to the NFL. The NFL continues to dominate the sports media market in every single way, and shows no signs of slowing down. The NFL draft is the clearest example of their popularity. Though the NBA and NHL playoffs will both be going on during the draft, the NFL will pull the highest viewership numbers.