A virtual NFL draft holds no surprises as it ends up being presented the same old way as always.
The 2020 NFL Draft
Likes: The first few times I saw heart tugging commercials about supporting workers in the coronavirus was nice. (Fifteenth time… not so much) There was also an outpouring of monetary support as well. (6.6 million!)
Dislikes: Roger Goodell continues to have the charisma of a brown paper bag, even while trying to lampshade football fan’s dislike of him.
Bottom Line: Only football nerds care about the draft. I doubt it was particularly engaging for anyone outside that demo.
2 out of 5. ◆◆◇◇◇
by Jacob Schermerhorn
The unprecedented times we are now living through have forced the entertainment industry to adapt and alter presentation.
Some have started podcasts, some have turned to YouTube, others have been Twitch streaming. Even Saturday Night Live has seemed to find its footing online after a shaky start. (Which is a whole other interesting phenomenon of established traditional artists encroaching on people who have been hustling in the digital age forever, but I digress.) The point is people are creative and find ways to adapt.
On the other hand, judging by the handling of the 2020 NFL draft, the National Football League has yet to embrace the possibilities of this age.
The NFL Draft is a yearly event where teams select players from the college level to play for them. There was a bad but endlessly entertaining Kevin Costner movie about it and if you think too long about it, the similarities to a slave auction (especially when taking the NFL Combine where athletes are tested for their physical skills) are disturbing.
Typically, the ceremony takes place in a big event hall with top talents invited to attend and ascend the stage when their name is called. Although the NFL Draft has grown in size, the presentation has remained the same and is, what I would call, stodgy and old-fashioned.
While technically ESPN and NFL Network are two separate channels covering the draft, on a surface level, nothing is different except the heads that are talking. (I switched between both, but ultimately turned to Bleacherreport’s live reporting on YouTube.) Sports analysts discuss the merits of particular players, their predictions for when popular players will be taken, and about the sanctity and importance of this event and the league itself.
And for the first virtual draft, not much changed. All of the introductory packages for players were filmed beforehand, draftees were interviewed by video, and Commissioner Roger Goodell read the selections from his basement. I understand that changing formats for this new situation is difficult, but nothing about the virtual experience enhanced or aided the presentation.
To me, the sentiment I felt was indicative of the league’s greater inability to adapt. Stringent penalties for marijuana even as the rest of the country accepted its legality were only dropped this year. Colin Kaepernick was considered locker room poison and the NFL squashed even discussing controversial issues. Cheerleaders are still suing teams for unfair labor practices. The long-term trauma and injury of playing the game has been swept under the rug. These are problems born out of the same system.
My negative opinion may be in the minority. This draft set viewership records and coaches and general managers have expressed interest incorporating more virtual work based on this experience.
However, the fact still remains: the National Football League is concerned with maximizing profits (duh) and doing as little work as possible to get there. The 2020 NFL Draft just proves that to me.
Before I conclude, I would be remiss to not mention the league commissioner, Roger Goodell.
The definition of an “Empty Suit,” it is abundantly clear that Goodell is concerned with expanding the NFL’s profits and not much else. (A franchise team in London has discussed in greater detail than improving player safety)
So having he and Bud Lite team up in order to lampshade the tradition of booing the commissioner felt hollow and desperate.
For viewers of the draft, maybe take a suggestion from Pat McAfee, next time, just watch Goodell on mute. It’s a much better experience.
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