Read the opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Sports Geek .
My apologies to William Shakespeare, but not unlike a line from Macbeth, the NFL draft has become, “A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
The NFL Draft has morphed from a once unique and exciting experience to an overhyped, poorly executed spectacle. It has been dragged out into a grueling three day marathon which is pulled off with all the decorum and attention to detail of a fraternity keg party. All of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s efforts to escalate the importance and media coverage of the event have in turn created an overblown, overexposed monster. The NFL Draft has become the most overhyped sporting event around.
Once the top few quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers come off the board, the entertainment diminishes exponentially. Sure, some important players are selected in the later rounds, but are they worth the hours of repetitive commentary and faulty predictions? No.
Plus, all this coverage boarders on triggering an overexposure induced backlash. Fans are already inundated with pre-draft specials, combine breakdowns, and expert analysis weeks in advance. This excessive promotion establishes unreachable expectations. With each commercial prompting fans to believe they will miss out on the selection of the next Peyton Manning if they miss a minute of the draft comes increased pressure for the NFL Draft to be much more entertaining. And when the fans do tune in expecting a big payoff, they are instead provided with “expert” analysis with all the accuracy of radar-less weatherman.
I would like to make it clear that I take nothing away from the challenge Commissioner Goodell faces. While other sports are trying to find ways to keep up with or catch professional football, he must often blaze his own trail to find previously unexplored ways to make the NFL more profitable. Unfortunately for the Commish (does anyone else immediately think of Michael Chiklis?), I believe that the league’s tinkering, and the excessive promotion of the draft, has gone a bit too far.
The NFL is making mistakes in trying to outdo itself. The whole situation reminds me of the problem of movie sequels. Many times film makers get so caught up in attempting to go bigger than the first movie that they forget about the elements of the original that made their product popular in the first place. Red carpets and a snooty atmosphere seem to clash with the blue collar vibe of the jersey clad fans present in Radio City Music Hall, and the ones watching from their battle-worn easy chairs in living rooms around America.
It seems that the draft no longer caters to the demographics that helped make the event, and the NFL, successful in the first place. Jim Corbett of USA TODAY described the pomp and circumstance of the occasion as “Monday Night Football meets the Academy Awards.” Excuse me for not getting overly excited that a football event is being turned into a black tie gala. Next thing you know there will be a strict dress code for fans, and I don’t think the old lucky jersey and nacho stained sweatpants combo will make the cut.
The draft disappoints. While Mel Kiper, Jr.’s hair is always entertaining, his analysis is not. Watching him and John Gruden aimlessly argue over the potential of Tim Tebow seems like an exercise in futility, and it certainly does not distract from the fact that no blockbuster deals were being done. Similarly, watching Jimmy Clausen sit in the best available box while his draft stock plummets does not make up for the fact that picks seem to take forever. While the draft definitely has value, it could benefit from giving the hype machine a well deserved break. Too much of a mediocre thing is definitely enough.
