2013 NFL Draft: A Television vs. Twitter Tragedy

This year marks the 30th anniversary of, arguably, the greatest NFL draft class ever: 1983 for the liberal arts majors out there. Quarterbacks John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino, along with running back Eric Dickerson, all went in the first round. Marino was selected 27th out of 28 picks! Since then, so much about the league has grown, with the NFL Draft becoming a microcosm for the league, its popularity, and financial prowess.

Vulcan death grip to those who question me!

Starting in 2010, the NFL moved its annual April weekend all-day broadcast to Thursday Night prime time (actually, a 7:30 broadcast start in 2010) because there was money to-be-made on behalf of the league and ESPN. The worldwide hype machine could dedicate hours of promotion leading up to its coverage and charge top dollar for ad space, much like the financial model for the Super Bowl. Last year, the NFL Network and ESPN shared 8.1 million viewers for their first-round coverage. It was the second-most-watched first-round in NFL history, up 16% from the year before. Part of that could be attributed to Andrew Luck and RG3, but with the NFL Network already broadcasting the NFL Combine, journalists and experts have enough football fodder to feed any addict’s appetite up until draft day. “Oh, it was an ingrown toenail that caused him to run a slow 40 at the combine! He’ll do better at his pro day. Nice! He’s passed his last eight drug tests, guess he’s changed those character issues. Maybe my team should draft him.”

Naturally, since both networks have thrived in the instant-information age, they're banning their journalists and NFL experts from tweeting or reporting a team’s pick before [commissioner] Rodger Goodell announces it on television. In addition to the twitter edict, both networks have agreed not to tip-off viewers by showing prospects on the phone prior to Goodell announcing the choice on television. (insert shitty Chris Berman sound effect) Wait, what?!

Broadcasting live from Hell...

A commissioner represents the owners and their product and none does it better than Goodell. The NFL and ESPN maintain that their decisions are based on giving the fan the best experience possible. Bullshit. This move is driven by TV ad-revenue, plain and simple. Why would ESPN and NFL Network pay their experts all year, only to silence them and their journalistic metabolism during the season’s story line feast?! Additionally, why the hell would anyone tune-in Thursday night to watch Berman, Jon Gruden, and Mel Kiper Jr.? That’s one of the most annoying broadcast teams in football history. Woop!, "This guy right here...", and Big Board are all broken records. I'd rather watch Michael Strahan and Lou Holtz spit all over each other analyzing these decisions.

These ridiculous choices will lead to Fox, Yahoo!, NBC, and possibly CBS Sports analysts beating ESPN and the NFL at their own game! Think about Adam Schefter bitching to Chris Mortensen about the 2013 draft’s phone fiasco: What’s the point of sacrificing your life to hyperbolic football predictions if you can’t tweet on the largest, unsubstantiated, rumor-filled night of the year?!

With all the linemen forecasted to go in the first-round, save yourself the time, follow a couple of NFL experts like Jay Glazer on twitter, and check your phone or iPad every 10-12 minutes.