The 2017 NFL Draft will be held in Philadelphia over three days, Thursday through Saturday, April 27-29, 2017. The NFL Draft experience is free to attend and open to the public.
Football fans from all over the country will have the chance to enjoy interactive experiences, get autographs from current and former players, take pictures with the Vince Lombardi Trophy and much more.
With more than 200,000 people expected to visit Philadelphia for the NFL Draft, the city expects to bring in a lot of revenue. Almost $80 million to be exact.
“Events such as the DNC and Papal visit led to underwhelming revenue results for the city of Philadelphia,” said City Controller Alan Butkovitz. “There is really no reason to believe this is going to even come close to the projected amount.”
While the Papal visit and DNC visit gave Philadelphia hotels reasons to raise the price for hotels in the area, they had a difficult time doing that for the NFL Draft, but the bookings are there.
“The NFL Draft is going to be great exposure for the city of Philadelphia,” said Ed Grose, Executive Director of Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association. “We’re trying to get rates that are on par with a major convention, which would be a great thing.”
Dining, hotel, and cultural attractions are what will bring in the most revenue for the city. The Chamber of Commerce believes hosting the Draft in Philadelphia will have a much larger future impact, making Philadelphia a city that people are now going to want to visit more.
In addition, economists from all over the country believe that revenue for the city will not even come close to the final projection, and people should remain skeptical.
While there are concerns about how much money the city will make because of the draft, some residents in the Fairmount area are not happy about the road closures.
“I don’t understand why they needed to start shutting streets down like six weeks ago,” said Fairmount resident Andrew Jenkins.
Jenkins said he is happy Philadelphia is hosting the draft but wishes it could have been at the sports complex in South Philadelphia.
“It’s too much of a headache to have it here,” said Jenkins
Jenkins is referring to Philadelphia’s road closures to many busy streets including parts of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Eakins Oval, Kelly Drive among others.
The city has encouraged people to use SEPTA during the draft because it’s an “affordable way for fans to get to and from the event grounds,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
Parking will be free at the sports complex during the draft and people will be able to ride the subway from the AT&T Station to the City Hall Station, which is part of the Board Street Line.
The City Hall Station is just a few blocks from the Parkway were the draft will be held.
Despite the free parking, people will still have to pay $2.25 per person to ride the subway.
“We understand the frustrations people are having about some of the obstacles this event is causing, and we will continue to come up with the best possible solutions we can,” said Ajeenah Amir, the Deputy Communications Director for Mayor Jim Kenney.
By: Bob Wurtenberg and Matthew Fleming
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