The NFL Draft has been an annual showing of how the league can dominate the sporting headlines even in its offseason. Changes to the event have included extending the festivities from two days to three, the time for selections being greatly reduced, and today, the location of the event.
For the past nine years, the draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. But the 2015 NFL Draft, the 80th in the league’s history, will be held April 30-May 2 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago.
This is the first time in over 50 years that the draft is being held in the “Windy City”, as Chicago was the draft’s home in 1938, 1942-44, 1951, and 1962-1964. Goodell says the league is “excited” for fans from the midwest get to “experience the NFL Draft”.
“We look forward to returning the event to the city of Chicago and working with the city, Choose Chicago, and the Chicago Sports Commission to create a week-long celebration of football for our fans,” said Goodell. “Mayor (Rahm) Emanuel and the city of Chicago presented us with numerous ways to enhance the Draft experience for our fans and incoming players.”
As the city’s mayor, Emanuel says “Chicago” is “pleased” to welcome the draft to “America’s heartland”.
“Next year, NFL fans from across the country will travel here or tune in as the future of their team is decided in Chicago,” said Emanuel. “We look forward to working with the Chicago Bears, the NFL, and our neighborhood partners to make this an event that highlights our world class city and reinvests in our communities.”
Here are some details of next year’s NFL Draft, courtesy of NFL communications:
The Draft will return to primetime for Rounds 1-3. Round 1 will take place on Thursday, April 30 while Rounds 2-3 will be held on Friday, May 1. The Draft will conclude on Saturday, May 2 with Rounds 4-7.
Round 1 festivities will include incoming prospects walking the red carpet on Michigan Avenue, while 32 former players who are members of the NFL Legends community, one representing each team, will be on hand for Round 2 to announce selections. In addition to the event inside Auditorium Theatre, the Draft will expand outside to Grant Park and Congress Plaza. There will be an outdoor fan festival for all three days where fans of all teams can follow the Draft, enjoy interactive exhibits and autograph sessions with current and former players. Tickets will be free for all fans.
The 125-year-old Auditorium Theatre opened in 1889 and has hosted operas, concerts, musicals and ballets. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William McKinley gave speeches at the theatre, which has also hosted shows by performers such as Ray Charles, The Doors, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder. The theatre also hosted Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera.
Coverage of the 2014 NFL Draft on NFL Network, ESPN & ESPN2 reached 45.7 million people across the three days, topping the previous record set in 2010 (45.4 million), according to The Nielsen Company. First-round coverage on ESPN and NFL Network drew a combined total viewership of 32.0 million viewers, making it the most-viewed Round 1 ever, according to Nielsen. Round 1 was the most-watched program on cable and the second most-watched program on television that Thursday night (The Big Bang Theory, CBS).
