Alright football fans, now that all the draft picks have been opened and the tree has been put away, I think we can all agree that the 2024 NFL Draft did not disappoint in the great city of Detroit. Fans of our great sport were glued to their seats, weighted with anticipation, as their favorite team would finally be “on the clock.” Millions of self-proclaimed experts, social media scouts, online evaluators, and yes, armchair coaches gathered around chicken wings and TV screens to express either approval or disgust for the selections of the real decision makers.

The joy of having your team draft that secret gem that you’ve convinced yourself only you can see as a future star is only matched by the tear-jerking heartbreak of watching your division rivals get that same guy.

For all the packed-out living rooms, dorms, city stadiums, and sports bars that were populated by jersey-wearing, beer-guzzling, imaginary general managers, the real fan story is that over 775,000 loyal supporters of the National Football League came out in force, breaking the attendance record for any previous draft. Neither the cold nor the rain would slow down the faithful horde who came to see the stars of tomorrow walk across that stage and shake the commissioner’s hand. 

If every team’s first-round pick shows that same level of dedication, then it should be nothing but smiles all around. This kind of attendance is evidence that the NFL is not only successful but also ever-expanding year over year. Growth is a term that all businesses love, but for us as fans, we may not always be in tune with where and how that growth is demonstrated.

When a city like Detroit enjoys the influx of 300,000 people for the draft, it also enjoys the massive economic shot in the arm that is sure to follow. Two hundred fifty-seven players were drafted from Thursday to Saturday, but the real number that matters is 165 million. That’s the estimated economic impact that the NFL draft had on downtown Detroit and surrounding areas. A city that has seen major ups and downs financially got to be the center of attention and the recipient of fanatical finances. Amazing 5-star restaurants and local mom-and-pop outfits all benefited from the imported excitement that the draft brought to town. 

Roger Goodell has never missed the mark when it comes to product placement and massive returns. No matter how you feel about the man who decides if your strong safety is hitting a little too high, you can’t deny the fact that the league has never been stronger or its cash registers more full.

Promotion and hype are terms that almost don’t seem fitting for the NFL draft anymore. Hype refers to something more in need of labor or effort to stoke up interest. That is not at all what the draft has become as we know it today. The truth is that from the second our team is eliminated from playoff contention, the eyes of the fans and the front office immediately turn to free agency and the draft. 

There is no such thing as an offseason anymore when we are talking NFL football. The team-building aspect of fandom is just as intense as the games themselves. Every roster spot is scrutinized. Every acquisition or failed acquisition is dissected and debated locally and nationally. There is no rest for the executives who are tasked with fielding the best possible product year in and year out.

These executives racked their brains to make sure that when they turned in the card to the commissioner, the player selected would be an integral part of what makes a champion. The other task is that the name on that card stimulates the hopes, wishes, and dreams of each respective team’s following. Caleb Williams, Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, and the world’s fastest football player, Xavier Worthy, are just a few of the names that run up the numbers for the cities they were drafted to.

The undeniable truth is that the NFL is so monstrous and so magnetic of a force that people and prosperity will always be the calling card of its events. Ticket sales benefit owners, but spectacles like the draft benefit entire metropolitan areas and states. 

So, as the 257 draftees begin their new journey to fulfill childhood dreams, let’s take a second to remember how and why those same players will get a chance to make life-altering money and redefine what their families’ trajectory looks like. 

Roger Goodell has grown the pie that owners and players get to slice up and enjoy. The NFL dreams are just as financial as they are football, and the numbers on the contracts matter just as much as the numbers on the jerseys. Congratulations to all the young men who now embark on their dream