There’s definitely a reason cities are lining up to host the NFL Draft after the league went away from New York City hosting it on an annual basis.
It’s popular. It brings in tourism. And it has a major economic impact.
The NFL just recently indicated that the 2017 NFL Draft generated $95 million for the Philadelphia economy.
“According to the NFL Draft Event Impact Report, commissioned by the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) and conducted by Temple University’s Sport Industry Research Center (SIRC), direct spending during the 3-day event in April was $56.1 million, resulting in an estimated $94.9 million in economic impact for Philadelphia,” the league announced in a press release on Thursday.
That’s a whole lot of cash, especially for cities that find themselves in hard economic times.
There has not yet been an announcement about who will host the 2018 NFL Draft, but both Dallas and the Cleveland area have put in bids to host future events.
The NFL Draft itself has become a three-day off-season boon for the league. And the NFL has marketed it as such in recent years. This will only add to the growing popularity of the annual event.