Do you remember watching the NFL Draft with anticipation? If you were like me, you would be parked on the couch, with beer in hand, and watch as though you were related to the players involved. When the Cowboys’ pick drew near, and as the commissioner walked toward the podium, a thousand thoughts crossed your mind:
Would they take the running back or go with the dominant outside linebacker?
Should they take advantage of the highly-rated cornerback falling into their lap or did his off-the-field problems scare them away?
Could they trade down and acquire additional picks for next year?
You were on the edge of your seat as the commissioner proclaimed, “With the 13th pick in the 200_ draft, the Dallas Cowboys select…” A wave of emotions accompanied the announcement – usually leading to the three W’s:
“What?...Who?...Why?”
For me, this entire process has changed – and I blame technology. ESPN has surrounded every player with cameras and microphones to provide fans with an “inside look” into the goings on at the draft. I don’t like it.
I don’t like seeing Mark Sanchez celebrating with his family and throwing a Jets cap on before the pick is announced. It is simply anticlimactic. There is no more anticipation. There is no more “shhhhing” your buddies as the commissioner begins to speak. Instead, fans see guys like Sanchez put a Jets hat on minutes before the pick is announced. It’s not good television. It’s not exciting. It’s a buzzkill.
ESPN has been so focused on finding new ways to provide a behind-the-scenes perspective that they have forgotten that fans enjoy the mystery of the draft. The former mystique of each team’s thought process created an energetic anticipation surrounding each pick. Fans enjoyed not knowing what was going to happen next.
Showing the result of the pick before the announcement is like seeing the secrets of a magic trick before the magician performs. It is like announcing the winner of American Idol before the contestants sing (did I just drop an American Idol reference into an NFL Draft piece? That’s either very cool…or very sad).
OK, my soapbox just crumbled – but you get my point. Behind-the-scenes at the draft sucks.
Draft Quickies
#1: Who attends the NFL Draft? Seriously…I need to know. Unless you are: 1) a player; 2) a family member of a player; 3) an agent…what are you doing at the draft? I mean, from what I can tell, there is nothing to do. You just sit in your seat, drink a beer or twelve and await the one moment that is actually relevant to your team.
I’m not saying that it’s boring – it’s just that if I had a choice between attending 8 hours of an NFL Draft and watching women’s bowling with my grandmother – it would be a tough decision. Spending eight hours of boredom awaiting a 10-second payoff is too reminiscent of college dating for my blood.
#2: After the Jets ingeniously moved up to take Mark Sanchez, the camera panned to a section of Jets’ fans shaking their head while yelling, “NO! STUPID PICK!”
Seriously? I understand: they were Jets’ fans, so that has to be taken into account. They had probably been drinking since 7 that morning, but protesting…vehemently protesting that pick? Really? I would think that, even a sloshed New Yorker would have trouble disagreeing with that move.
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