In the old days, before savvy public relations firms and clever sports marketers became woven into the fabric of professional sports, the various leagues would conduct their respective drafts and be done with it. However, that was a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away because now it is big business and no organization has capitalized on it greater than the National Football League. Here you can get The Business Behind Pro Sports Drafts.
This year’s draft will occur on Thursday, April 29th, Friday, April 30th, and Saturday, May 1st. It will be televised on the NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, and ESPN Deportes with the most highly anticipated of the three occurring on Thursday night when the first-round ensues.
And not only will the NFL make beaucoup dough from the networks via its advertising revenue but there will be money to made at all of the major online sportsbooks that are dealing lines on where players are expected to be selected. The NFL Draft holds an important position in online sports betting because it has a category unto itself. One of the preeminent online books has the following proposition wager, one among many, available on its site:
Second Overall Pick in the 2021 NFL Draft
- Zach Wilson (BYU) -500
- Justin Fields (Ohio State) +600
- Trey Lance (North Dakota St.) +1000
- Penei Sewell (Oregon) +2000
- J’Marr Chase (LSU) +3300
- Mac Jones (Alabama) +3300
- Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) +3300
- Kyle Pitts (Florida) +3300
- Rashawn Slater (Northwestern) +6600
- Micah Parsons (Penn State) +8000
Noticeably absent on this list is Clemson’s wunderkind, Trevor Lawrence, and it is because he is such a mortal lock to be drafted by Jacksonville with the No. 1 overall pick that he is not even included in the favorites to be picked second. However, it does appear as though BYU’s Zach Wilson will be the No. 2 overall picks and if you want a piece of that action it will cost you $5 for every dollar you want to make. That’s a steep price to pay for a bet that could easily go south if the Jets decide Justin Fields or Trey Lance is the better choice, or, just maybe, New York trades out of the No. 2 slot entirely. That will leave you hoping another team with a big need for a quarterback sees things the way you do and deems Wilson the best of the rest under center.
NFL Draft All Steak and Plenty of Sizzle
Say what you want about NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, but he has elevated the NFL Draft to an art form that is dissected and scrutinized by fans all over the world. And just when it was poised to be at its opulent best, set in Sin City and replete with a ferry, shuttling players from the Bellagio Hotel and Casino’s fountain pool to the red-carpet stage across the way, the global pandemic struck. Covid chaos ensued and relegated the pomp and circumstance to the players’ living rooms while Goodell operated out of his personal man-cave located in Bronxville, New York.
And guess what? The remote draft went off without a technical glitch despite the very real possibility any one of 600 direct camera feeds could go awry. Goodell and his tech gurus pulled it off and although it was devoid of the fans cheering – and booing – the selections while the future millionaires showed up in their finest clothing to shake Roger’s hand, it was charming in its own way.
“I was thoroughly impressed — blown away, even — by how smooth the operation was,” said Erik Bacharach, the Titans’ beat reporter for The Tennessean. “I was fully expecting there to be some technological snags throughout the event.”
That’s why Goodell makes the staggering amount of money he does because under his watch, the NFL has thrived financially and that’s all that matters to the billionaire owners who put their fancy toys under his stewardship. The 2020 NFL Draft’s first night registered a record 15.6 million viewers across ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, and ESPN Deportes, which was a whopping 37 percent more than they did in 2019 and 16 percent higher spanning all three days.
Although the NBA pulls decent numbers for their annual meat market, it is but a speck compared to the NFL. The MLB and NHL drafts are barely noticed because most of the players being chosen are several years away from the professional teams they hope to call home one day. However, the young athletes chosen by their NFL and NBA teams, particularly in the first round, will all likely be suiting up when their respective seasons start, and many are expected to make an immediate impact.
The professional sports drafts are part of doing business in all the professional sports leagues, but in the NFL it is an annual spectacle that pulls huge numbers and generates even bigger dollars.
