The annual NFL Draft has gotten out of hand. Yes, it is the off season and everyone is jonesin’ for football, but the draft ceremony has turned into a Hollywood production of spectacular proportions. Everyone likes a big show but just think about what all that hype might be doing to the young athletes being ground up in the draft process.
The pressure has got to be enormous and these guys are usually only 18-20 years old. Sure they have been in the spot light before, but on such a nationally televised level? Just the anticipation and anxiety alone has got to be enough to have them already on edge, but then plug in the local and national media, and the whole process could be a bit overwhelming.
Of course these guys are going for the ‘Golden Ring’ of the NFL and that’s a lofty goal indeed. Expectations are high. Pressure is to be expected and dealt with. But, to the uninitiated, the NFL Draft Show and all the hype that goes along with it can be their first real trial under the bright lights of the big time. Remember that some of these players attended small colleges that never received much media attention.
The Head Coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Chip Kelly, thinks that the current draft process is one of the worst things about the NFL today. He said in a recent interview, “I mean, the hype that goes into the draft is insane. Totally insane, I think a lot of times the hype turns into really, really hard times for the individual who got picked, because there’s so many expectations of everyone building them up to be Superman.”
So, not only do the young draftees have to go through the steep learning curve required to make the transition from college to the pros, they have to be on hand after every practice to answer questions from the press, then have their responses get blasted into the national media and get up and do it all again the next day.
Then there are the expectations placed on the draftee by the front office staff that picked him out as well as his new coaches and teammates, not to mention the local fans where a number one draft pick will likely be looked upon as the next savior of the franchise. But, no pressure.
But hey, the NFL will probably bring in over ten billion bucks next year. It is wildly popular and big business. These guys are going for the big bucks, so they had better get used to the hype.
