Read the opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Loyal Homer.
What an interesting debate this was! It makes me wish I had an extra night to sleep on things before making my verdict…
Because I don’t have that extra night, though, I am forced to make do with the information as best as I can. The winner of this debate is Sports Geek.
Loyal Homer presented some very strong points, specifically with regard to the challenges of airing the first round of the Draft on a Thursday night. Despite Sports Geek’s insistence that this will be top draw on television’s top night, I am not quite as optimistic. Pardon the stereotype, but wives and girlfriends who may be willing to tolerate a little weekend couch potatoing will be much more reluctant to relinquish the remote on a Thursday evening that is loaded with garbage like Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice (or as Mrs. Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek call it – “The best night on television”) just so their significant others can find out who the Ravens will take with the 25th pick in the draft.
As Loyal Homer accurately discusses, the five-hour marathon that is the first round of the NFL Draft will be too much of an endeavor for many casual fans to commit to on a school night.
Something that Sports Geek DID get correct, though, is the assessment that the Draft is not broadcast for the casual fan. It is broadcast so that the football obsessed Super-Fans out there like me, Sports Geek, Loyal Homer, Babe Ruthless, and YOU can get our quick spring-time fix while we wait for OTAs and Training Camps to open back up.
That, however, was not the determining factor in Sports Geek’s winning argument. The game-winner for this debate was the contested point of whether or not the teams themselves will benefit from this new format change.
Loyal Homer intimated that the teams would not benefit from the extra time they now have between rounds one and two, a point that Sports Geek (and I) wholeheartedly disagree with. When teams are in the heat of competition (and yes, the Draft is just another form of competition), they can lose perspective. Under the pressure of a ticking clock and amidst the swirling drama of blockbuster trades and last-minute surprises, it can be easy to lose focus or to drift off course. Half-time adjustments, time outs, and long, slow walks to the mound all exist to serve one purpose – to take a step back, recompose yourself, assess the situation, and adjust accordingly. This break in between rounds one and two of the draft will serve exactly the same purpose.
Teams that previously had to scramble and rush in a flurry of phone calls and deal-making can now take a full evening to absorb the chaos of the first round, and can re-tool their draft strategy in light of the newly changed circumstances. This new format creates an opportunity for additional analysis, and could incite even more excitement in the “value” rounds, through the newfound opportunity for ongoing negotiations throughout the night.
This change will add excitement and depth to the Draft, and will add a new dimension to the chess game that is played every April among the 32 teams of the NFL. I am looking forward to this Thursday evening, when I get my first opportunity to see the newest twist in Draft strategy play out (only during commercials on “Grey’s”, of course)!
Posted by Bleacher Fan 
