How the NFL Turned Its Draft Into the ‘McRib’ of Sporting Events
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The legend goes that when a fledgling ESPN asked NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle to televise the 1980 NFL Draft, even the PR-savvy Mr. Rozelle doubted anybody would tune in.
Fast-forward 33 years and John Brody, senior VP-sponsorship and sales for the NFL, expected 50 million viewers to watch the three-day event across ESPN, NFL Network and NFL Mobile last Thursday through Saturday nights.
Among league sponsors and advertisers, the NFL Draft is now viewed as a “tentpole event” where they can directly connect their brands to the country’s most-popular sports league, Mr. Brody said. A confirmed 19 sponsors activated around this year’s event at Radio City Music Hall vs. 16 in 2012. Among them: Anheuser-Busch; Nike; Verizon; Pepsi; GMC; Visa; EA Sports; Under Armour; Gatorade; and Castrol.
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