The powers that be had to find dates and locations for the upcoming Presidential debates, ones that will draw the curious and the dedicated to see what to octogenarian candidates will fire back and forth across the stage. The date for the first one? June 27. The conflict that could draw eyeball away? The recently expanded (meaning grown from one day to two with the same number of picks) NBA Draft, which will now hold its second round in New York on the 27th. A draft of players, most of whom may not even be there, is competition for a live debate between two men who will be the leader of the free world?
OK maybe its an overstatement of viewers, but it is certainly not something that factored in when debate dates were being considered in the past. Live events or sitcoms with big nights, sure. But a Draft? How is that a conflict or even “a thing.”
Well, it is, and it serves as a great reminder of how American sports, especially the NFL, have found ways to make nonevents into branding, awareness, social, and fan activities…events that were backwater second thoughts even a few years ago.
Case in point this week. The NFL schedule release. The creative, engaged audience grabbing, media consuming time spent around dates and matchups this fall must be making the previous titans of the league, people like the late Pete Rozelle (who started let us not forget as PR person) smile from above. A schedule release for games not to be played for months? Being leaked out over a series of days? That’s a thing?
Well, yes, it is, just like other “Nonevents” like the NFL Combine and the massive NFL Draft have become stand alone offseason activation platforms and great calls to awareness for fans. As we have written before there is also this year-round perception that the football gods need to satisfy. While it was thought because of the mythical success of the original USFL that we needed a full blown league…the latest of which is the UFL after what seems like the sixth iteration of the Arena League looks like it has again evaporated…the reality is the offseason NFL events really fit the bill for what fans in large scale for professional football need. Each spring event, built on to the next, gives fans an opportunity to engage across platforms, learn more about their team’s past, present and future, set up dates for the fall, and best of all…NO ONE LOSES! It is all hype, hope and content building, and you don’t leave an event or follow along feeling like this week is worse than the last because of on field performance.
Now is there a cost-effective niche for spring football, like the CFL has or the UFL is still trying to build? Sure, but is it a good business? That is still not clear. It would be great to be viable, job filling long-term successful leagues. Can there be one…a schedule release seems to work just fine, without all the cost from staging a game.
While not as massive in engagement as the NFL, the aforementioned NBA Draft, as well as this week’s combine, and Summer League, are also not too far off the NFL engagement path either, and the WNBA found a great platform with their expanded draft this year, as have MLB, the NWSL and MLS in other years. Not like the NFL on scale, but they all serve a niche for engagement, awareness, partnership growth and most importantly hopeful reminders to a fan base.
So, will pick 32 supplant POTUS on June 27 for eyeballs and reach? Probably not but there will be interest, something which was never a consideration for attention before. Like the late Rozelle, David Stern, the master of attention for all things hoops, will probably also be smiling down as Adam Silver takes the podium that night, right around the same time as candidates Trump and Biden.
No losers for sports fans that night.
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