Chicago To Host 2015 NFL Draft
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Oct 3, 2014 3:10PM
The "City of Big Shoulders" is going to be hosting quite a few men known for their big shoulder pads come spring. After a 50-year run in New York, the NFL Draft is coming to Chicago in 2015.
From April 30 to May 2, the NFL's annual disbursement of college players will be held in the Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University. Is the draft mayor Rahm Emanuel's consolation prize? They mayor lobbied the league to consider Chicago for a Super Bowl, following New York's selection to host the first ever cold weather game. But given Chicago's even harsher weather and Soldier Field's status as one of the smaller stadiums in the league, the city has a better chance of being awarded the 2016 Olympics today than it does of ever hosting a Super Bowl. Hosting the NFL Draft is still a pretty big deal.
The league had begun to explore moving the draft from New York, both as a means to broaden the league's reach, and also because of scheduling conflicts at Radio City Music Hall that had forced the league to shift the draft later into the spring in recent years. Rahm worked his arm-twisting magic to land the event for Chicago. The mayor met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in June, and both he and the Bears actively lobbied for the event via meetings in Chicago and phone discussions. Chicago beat out Los Angeles in large part because Emanuel promised to hold a fan festival in Grant Park in conjunction with the draft, even if our venues weren't quite as TV broadcast-ready as some of L.A's.
The NFL Draft drew almost 46 TV million viewers.
The Auditorium Theatre, on Congress between Michigan and Wabash, seats 3,929 people. Designed by famed architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, the theatre opened in 1889. Other venues were considered for hosting the three day event, including the Arie Crown Theater at McCormick Place and the Chicago Theatre, but the Auditorium Theatre was chosen for its size. This venue selection meant that City Hall had to work with the Joffrey Ballet to find them alternate accommodations because they were scheduled to perform at the theater during that time.