NFL Draft Success Proves Philly Is Capable of Bigger, Better
Fans and media gather on the red carpet before the first round of the 2017 NFL football draft, Thursday, April 27, 2017, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
You can just feel the buzz surrounding Philadelphia in the wide world of sports following our overwhelming success as hosts of the NFL Draft along the Parkway. We have got it going on right now:
Props to the people of Philadelphia. That's how to host a draft. No city has injected that much energy, electricity, excitement into draft.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 30, 2017
How is Philly doing hosting the NFL Draft? No arrests in Day 1 or 2, outside of someone unlawfully operating a drone. Pretty peaceful
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 29, 2017
But we’re a bit hesitant to accept this praise blindly, given its subtle implication that we weren’t exactly expected to pull this thing off. What did the pundits think was going to happen? A prison riot breaking out at the first sight of a Giants jersey?
We’re sorry, but did they not know where this draft was being staged in our city? Along the BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Parkway. On the steps of one of the most renowned art museums in the world. And yeah, those steps are pretty iconic in their own right.
This city has so much more culture than half of these bum towns whose residents try to shit on us. And to hell with the hacks in the media who bring up Santa Claus or Judge Seamus McCaffery any chance they get. We’ve got Society Hill, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and our phenomenal food. Philadelphia is the only World Heritage City in the country, damn it.
We can handle bigger events that bring more national and global exposure. We’ve had both Live Aid and Live 8 here. Made in America is still running every summer and we most recently hosted both the DNC and the Pope without a hitch.
So it isn’t a question of capability. It’s perception. Do large entities like the NFL see Philadelphia more like its worst or its best? The draft proved that the city isn’t the bottomless pit that more timid NFL fans would typically be afraid to walk into. It raised our collective credibility for the better, and we need to capitalize.
Fast Eddie himself called into WIP over the weekend to report that the city would be bidding for the Super Bowl in 2026 along with the NBA, NHL, and MLB All-Star Games. The United States Soccer Federation is attempting to bring the 2022 World Cup to the United States with Philadelphia listed as one of the sites for games.
The events that Rendell is looking to land are linked with Philly’s desire to be named the official city for festivities celebrating the United States’s 250th anniversary in 2026. That type of historic cultural event is something that our unfairly maligned residents deserve. And to think that it all may be possible thanks to hosting the 2017 NFL Draft.
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