NFL Draft Going Primetime?

[TTP77]

The NFL draft is big.

It could be getting bigger. Much bigger.

The NFL inched its annual draft toward prime time last weekend, starting the first round at 3 p.m. Dallas time. Next April, the NFL is considering giving the first round its own day – and a prime-time television slot.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday the league was discussing the possibility of staging the first round of the 2010 draft on a Thursday evening, the second and third rounds Friday evening and the final four rounds Saturday.

The event would remain the cable television domain of ESPN and the NFL Network.

"We're more confident now, with the timing of the first round, that it can fit a 3½-hour window," Goodell said. "We think it can be very appealing from a fan's standpoint and an audience standpoint.

"We'll talk to our teams about it. We have to see what impact this would have on them. But I think it has potential."

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/columnists/rgosselin/stories/042809dnspogosselin.1183d684a.html

I'm against this idea. I think it should remain a weekend event. I liked it better when it started earlier on Saturday. What do you peeps think?

[ZachLV27]

I liked it when I woke up on that Saturday morning and I got to lay in bed still half asleep while they made the first few picks. Pushing the draft back like they did this weekend annoyed me and this would probably really annoy me.

[Jones31]

I don't like it, I don't like that we have to wait all day as is.

[Aaron3322]

I agree. I dont like breaking it up into 1 round then 2 then the rest the following day.

[Yvette]

I could get into a Friday evening for the first round, then Saturday/Sunday for the rest. But Thursday? The draft is not in the same realm as a regular season game.

[TTP77]

I could get into a Friday evening for the first round, then Saturday/Sunday for the rest. But Thursday? The draft is not in the same realm as a regular season game.

I could live with that but I think they should make the Saturday start time earlier like it used to be.

[Yvette]

They could do all the rest of the rounds on Saturday and give everyone 5 minutes. Make it a freaking marathon if they have to, just get it over with. Stretching it to 3 days would be like a Jerry Lewis telethon.

[TTP77]

They should put us in charge....:king I think we have the makings of a good plan.

[Sect309Fan]

I think stretching it out for a Thur-Sat is a pretty lame idea. :buttkick

1. It sucks for fans that attend. These fans are out there overnight trying to get a ticket, and under the new plan, they would spend a whole day just to see one round? Some can probably attend two, and a few can do all three, but that is a lot of commitment. Plus, what about New York traffic on Thursday and Friday nights?

2. Three days is too much. It's a draft, not the Olympics. The fans want to know who will be on their teams sooner than later.

3. I am much more likely to spend Sunday morning watching draft coverage than Saturday morning. It is a lot less busy day, especially if you have kids.

[Fairweather Fan]

To much waiting. It was bad enough haveing to wait on the third round as long as we did. First three rounds should all be done in one day. I can't sit around and watch the whole draft anyhow. I flip between channels until it is time for the Titans to pick. Though I find it interesting, the draft isn't exactly prime time television.

[DelawareTitans]

They have officially gone over the edge and the draft has taken on a life of its own. The draft was fine right where it was at - on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon. I don't have the time either on a weeknight to watch the draft in primetime.

Its far easier to watch it casually as your doing whatever on a Saturday afternoon checking in every 10-15 minutes to see what's happened.

[TTP77]

Well, they've done it. This officially totally sucks a$$

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8116faa2&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

[PBV]

I hate this.

[Sect309Fan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4351601

Commissioner Roger Goodell notified teams Thursday that the draft will be spread over three days in 2010, running Thursday, April 22, through Saturday, April 24.

In addition, the first round will start in prime time at 7:30 p.m. ET.


"We continue to look for ways to make the draft more accessible to more fans," Goodell said in a statement. "Moving the first round to prime time on Thursday night will make the first round of the draft available to fans on what is typically the most-watched night of television."

ESPN and the NFL Network will televise the entire show.

The second and third rounds will start at 6:30 p.m. ET on April 23.

Rounds 4 through 7 will be on April 24, starting at 10 a.m. ET.

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My interest in the draft has dropped considrably with this announcement. :brick

[Titansfan777]

i miss the days when it came on at noon saturday and ended like at 11 that night, then on suday they did it again.

[MrBean]

Honestly, watching the draft is about as exciting as no time limit amateur chess.

[Yvette]

This is bad news for some of us who make a party out of it.
You all might have to take off the next day :D

[Old Oilers Fan]

Boooooooooooooo!!!!! :mad:

I am with 309. This use to be a big deal with me. I just don't understand it. If the people that wanted to watch it. They had all day Saturday to do so. Do they think that the TV ratings would go up? Oh well I guess the NFL just jumped the shark. :D

[TTP77]

I'm starting not to like Roger Goodell. In his quest to bring in more fans he's disregarding the fans who made the league what it is today. I talked to several people who follow the draft and no one was in favor of this change.

[GoPats]

I could get behind doing round one by itself on a Friday night, but if it starts at 8 pm (EST) on a Thursday I'll be passed out (asleep... that is) by the 15th pick. I usually stop watching fully after round one anyway and just come back periodically for updates.

My wife has a single-pane comic taped to our fridge... it's two guys talking at a cocktail party. They're looking at photos on the wall and one guy is saying, "And there's me and Emily at the Grand Canyon, missing the NFL draft." :lol

[kytitansfan1]

I'm starting not to like Roger Goodell. In his quest to bring in more fans he's disregarding the fans who made the league what it is today. I talked to several people who follow the draft and no one was in favor of this change.

NASCAR has done the same thing.

[DelawareTitans]

NASCAR has done the same thing.

I agree. Personally, I hate "The Chase". All it does is reward who gets hot at the end of the season, instead of the driver who has been being consistent all year long, as it used to be.

It is also unfair that a driver who may have built a 200-300 point lead winds up in second becaue he did not win as many races as the driver put in first, as what happened to Jeff Gordon a couple of years ago. Shoudn't they get some consideration for building such a big lead?

I don't think the driver who had the lead prior to The Chase starting has actually won it yet.

[pookha]

i hate it is going to be on thursday night and it could backfire big time on the nfl.
right now it is something special but thursday night while school is still in session so that will pretty much kill draft parties for a lot of people.
and even spending much time watching it on tv.
plus saturday afternoon is one reason it has done so well in the ratings.
going on thursday night is is going up against some big guns.
their only hope will be if they are still in reruns before may sweeps.