NFL Draft Was a Big Win for Philadelphia

It’s safe to say that this year’s NFL Draft was a major coup for its host city, Philadelphia. The figures have been released, and the attendance and money raised were off the charts. The economic impact soared above and beyond projections, generating $94.9 million in economic impact for Philadelphia.

The NFL Draft held this year in Philadelphia drastically outperformed economic expectations. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

As per Penn Live, “The NFL Draft Event Impact Report, commissioned by the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB) and conducted by Temple University’s Sport Industry Research Center (SIRC),  found that the economic output exceeded the projections of $80 million. The NFL said a record 250,000 fans attended draft festivities outside of the Philadelphia Museum of Art from April 26 to 29.”

The event was successful in several ways. It created 30,000 temporary jobs, and led to $56.1 million in direct spending. Hotel revenue was one of the only areas where the actual numbers came up short of projections, but occupancy was still up 11.4 percent over last year, and it created $2.1 million in additional revenue.

The $94.9 million figure was a huge increase over the $81 million in economic impact that the NFL Draft created in Chicago last year where it was hosted. Jeremy Jordan, a Temple professor who’s led the NFL Draft Impact Report the past three years, credited Philadelphia’s tremendous success with the fact that Philadelphia is in a better location, and that fans from other nearby markets were able to make it to the event held in downtown Philadelphia, increasing attendance and giving the overall economic impact a shot in the arm.

“Our takeaway is that the draft exceeded expectations for Philadelphia in terms of economic impact and exposure,” he said. “It painted the city in a positive light, which doesn’t always happen with our sporting events,” said Jordan, who noted that both the NFL and Philadelphia should be pleased by the results of this year’s draft.

Meanwhile, speculation is running wild as to where the NFL will hold next year’s draft. Dallas is considered an early favorite, but nothing official has been announced.