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NFL Wants Chicago To Increase Draft Festivities, Will Open Future Bidding This Fall
Chicago was an "easy pick" by the NFL to host the '16 Draft after "exceeding expectations" this past spring, according to Robert Channick of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced the decision yesterday during the owners meeting, and Goodell said, "They've earned it. The success we had last year set a new bar for the draft, it set a new opportunity for fans to interact with the NFL. It had a tremendous impact on this community." He added that Chicago "did an extraordinary job, but the league expects the city to promote the event's continued growth" in '16. That may include a "larger footprint and similar accommodations by the city, which provided several venues this year at no cost." Choose Chicago President & CEO Don Welsh said that the format will "likely remain the same, using Grant Park for the outdoor festival and Roosevelt University's Auditorium Theatre to host the actual draft." Channick notes it was "unclear if any facilities will once again be made available to the NFL at no cost." NFL Senior VP/Events Peter O'Reilly said that "several cities were in the running to host the draft" in '16, but an analysis of this year's successful event "ended the competition quickly." He said that the league "will open up bidding" for the '17 Draft this fall, "creating a 'more formal process' to allow all NFL cities to participate." Channick notes the announcement "was not even on the agenda for NFL owners, who were in Chicago for a special meeting to consider bringing pro football back" to L.A. ( <a target="_blank" href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-nfl-draft-decision-0812-biz-20150811-story.html">CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/12</a> ). NFL Network's Solomon Wilcots said, “They did a wonderful job hosting that event, and everyone had a wonderful weekend." Chicago is a “great host city, and I thought the way they laid everything out everyone had a wonderful time." People "flocked to that city just to be part of this wonderful event” ( "Inside Training Camp Live," NFL Network, 8/11 ).
