The Draft in Green Bay Is Not About Logistics, It's About History And Tradition

Wisconsin will host the draft after 85 years

The NFL announced on Monday that Green Bay, Wisconsin, will be the host of the 2025 NFL Draft. This is amazing news for the city, for the state, and for Packers fans. But this is also good news for football aficionados and outside observers. While there are fair considerations about logistics and infrastructure in a relatively small city for NFL parameters, the idea of the league is to exactly show the difference, the good and the bad, in each hosting city.

From 1965 to 2014, the event was established in New York. The last nine editions in the Big Apple happened in the same place, the Radio City Music Hall. If infrastructure was the main consideration for the NFL, it would have been logical to keep the draft in New York — as the league has kept the Combine in Indianapolis, because this is an event where logistics truly matter. But the draft is much more than that. It is a celebration among real football fans. If a person is willing to travel from home to any city to hear players' names called by an NFL commissioner, there must be something bigger involved.

This is an event in which the NFL has an opportunity to include cities that are not realistic Super Bowl hosts. Kansas City, for example, has never hosted the championship game and was this year's draft spot. Just 11 cities have hosted the draft. Detroit will be the 12th in 2024, and Green Bay will be the 13th. Wisconsin hasn't hosted the draft since December 9, 1939, the 1940 NFL Draft, which happened at the Schroeder Hotel, in Milwaukee. The first overall pick was fullback George Cafego, by the Chicago Cardinals. The Packers had the ninth pick, halfback Hal Van Every, from Minnesota, who played two years for the team. Eighty-five years. That's a long wait, and one Packers fans and Wisconsin natives will gladly see the end.

The 2025 draft won't be about logistics. It is about what Green Bay has to offer: its history. A story that exudes the essence of football, a century-old tradition in a city that lives and breathes the NFL 365 days a year, and relies on the eight game days per year in the region to drive the economy and sustain a fan base that is passionate for the franchise and the sport.

In Green Bay, people from other states and countries will have the opportunity to visit and experience the rich history and tradition associated with the Green Bay Packers and Lambeau Field. The stadium offers guided tours, exhibits, and a Pro Shop, allowing fans to immerse themselves in the Packers' legacy. The city's atmosphere is electric during football events, and it won't be different with the draft — at least until the Packers pass a wide receiver in the first round.

In Kansas City, this year, more than 300,000 people went to experience the draft. The NFL knows it, and considered it while analyzing Green Bay's pitch to host the draft. It was not an impulsive decision by the league, nor was it a lack of options.

"The benefits of this will not only be immediate, but will be lasting, as well", said Packers president Mark Murphy, who will retire right after the draft in 2025. The expectation is there will be a $ 94 million economic impact for Wisconsin.

The draft in Green Bay will be an amazing opportunity to connect football fans with the roots of the sport. If you don't want to be there, it's your choice. I do.

Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK/Wisconsin

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Wendell Ferreira covers the Green Bay Packers for Zone Coverage and Cheesehead TV. He is a Brazilian journalist with over a decade of experience covering the NFL, soccer, NBA, and MMA. Follow him on twitter at @wendellfp  

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Comments (30)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
Rebelgb's picture

May 23, 2023 at 11:12 am

Again, the NFL would not have chosen GB if the city had not proven it can handle it. So noone need question that.

What I am interested to see is how the city and the Packers respond in the next 2 years when it comes to brightening things up around the area and also what kind of things will be planned.

We need to blow this out of the park! Worst thing that can possibly happen is we put on a poor showing and the outsiders say "hey we told you so....".

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T7Steve's picture

May 23, 2023 at 11:20 am

It will be a breath of fresh air compared to the Detroit ghettos.

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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 23, 2023 at 07:02 pm

This means 2025 we win the Superbowl! It's in the cards 😎

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dobber's picture

May 23, 2023 at 11:14 am

I hope it snows.

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DoubleJ's picture

May 23, 2023 at 12:08 pm

Good old April blizzard to brighten the day.

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Since'61's picture

May 24, 2023 at 07:52 pm

That's good for a cookie! Thanks, Since '61

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mnbadger's picture

May 23, 2023 at 12:25 pm

Hopefully a shot in the arm to all citizens and businesses in the region that have paid stadium taxes and dealt with other burdens of living there but maybe not directly connected.
GPG!

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PatrickGB's picture

May 23, 2023 at 12:32 pm

I have visited there a couple of times. Nice town. However, my first thought was Logistics. It can’t be ignored. Hotels, parking, and airport availability seem like a tough problem. But I have confidence that you folks will figure something out.

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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 23, 2023 at 06:56 pm

They'll build an airport with a parking lot and hotel? Lol

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Oppy's picture

May 23, 2023 at 07:22 pm

This single biggest issue will be availability of rental vehicles.
Public transit isn't great in most Wisconsin cities (Milwaukee's used to be pretty good), but it's down right anemic in most and connectivity between cities is almost non-existent.

Hotels, flights, and accomodations will be spread throught SE to NE WI. Visitors are going to rely on rental cars primarily I assume

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Rebelgb's picture

May 24, 2023 at 08:17 am

Good point Oppy and thank you for pointing it out.

On game day the Packers get a huge boost from Uber and Lyft. I have spoken to several of their drivers over the years and the Packer season is a huge business for them.

I would expect both Uber and Lyft to increase their driver pool for that time.

People forget that in New York you could be in NY and still be 45 minutes away from any given location. Its not like that in Green Bay. Even if your staying at a hotel in Howard or Pulaski your only 12 minutes away.......

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Rarescope's picture

May 25, 2023 at 07:19 am

Uber and Lyft have no control over the number of drivers in an area. But, having been a driver myself in Madison I can say that drivers from other areas will definitely travel to Green Bay for the draft. Heck drivers from Milwaukee would come to Madison just to sit at our airport because they had too much competition in Milwaukee. I was a little miffed about that, it’s not like there was that many rides to go around as it was. Anyways, yay draft in GB!

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GeorgeRipley's picture

May 23, 2023 at 12:56 pm

That's awesome! I believe that putting in the effort to level up in any endeavor is crucial. A resource like https://isaccurate.com/best-polish-translation-services can be incredibly helpful in this regard. It ensures clarity and helps overcome language barriers, preventing misunderstandings. By utilizing such services, you can navigate through different languages and cultures with ease, fostering effective communication and avoiding any linguistic obstacles.

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Rarescope's picture

May 25, 2023 at 07:21 am

Yep, because Polish is what they speak in Green Bay. No wonder I can’t understand anyone when I go there :p

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greengold's picture

May 25, 2023 at 07:29 am

Throw me down the stairs the hammer, eh!

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murf7777's picture

May 23, 2023 at 01:10 pm

This is Murphy’s going away party…. I know many don’t like him, but these are the type of things, along with Titletown that will make Green Bay viable for decades to come and he deserves some of the credit for. Of course, the great fan base is #1. GPG forever.

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HarlanHuckleby's picture

May 23, 2023 at 02:22 pm

The GB area has sufficient capacity to handle the media, team personnel, and some fans. If there aren’t as many fans as some other recent drafts, I doubt the league will be too concerned about that. All you need are enough goofy-costumed fans from each team to fill a fan reaction shot.

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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 23, 2023 at 06:59 pm

There's tons of additional capacity in neighboring towns. Rental car. Flight into Milwaukee. Or even Madison, which is a nice little airport. Fans can see the charm of the area.

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TKWorldWide's picture

May 23, 2023 at 03:11 pm

Correction: Hal Van Every was out of Georgia Tech, not Minnesota, and he coulda been a HOF halfback were it not for two devastating knee injuries suffered against the Bears.

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EnemyTerritory's picture

May 23, 2023 at 05:40 pm

It will be interesting to see how Green Bay handles the event. Kansas City did a great job and had the event in a fantastic area of the city. Wandering around the rest of the city though it was not obvious that there was anything really happening. Although there were reportedly 300k attendees the numbers are misleading. Thursday was packed. SRO for the draft stage area. Friday and Saturday were significantly reduced and I’d hazard a guess mostly locals. IMHO the city will be able to host adequately for what is mostly a tv event.
Not much different than hosting a major playoff game without the snow and cold.

Kudos to Murphy and the organization for getting the event. The stadium concerts and other buildout events were a step toward this goal.

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SicSemperTyrannis's picture

May 23, 2023 at 07:01 pm

Without snow and cold? Don't count on it!

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Packerpasty's picture

May 23, 2023 at 07:30 pm

Golden Corral is GONNA BE PACKED!!!

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The_Justicar's picture

May 23, 2023 at 08:23 pm

I think I’d prefer two years after Detroit not one. May be hard to get the same crowd to go to the Midwest two years in a row.

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mrtundra's picture

May 24, 2023 at 06:58 am

NFL Draft in GB: Check! Next up: a Super Bowl at Lambeau. All the negative talk about how it's too cold for spectators at Lambeau, in the winter, is from a bunch of sissies who need to be indoors, to watch an outdoor game(like in Minnesota). The hot coffee and hot cocoa concessions would be through the roof, if Lambeau had a roof! And thank God, they don't have a roof!

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EnemyTerritory's picture

May 24, 2023 at 07:05 am

Unfortunately there will not be a Super Bowl at Lambeau. That game is for the power elite$, not the average fan, who would not pay thousands to sit on metal benches in the cold.

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Rebelgb's picture

May 24, 2023 at 08:24 am

^^TRUTH.

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HarryHodag's picture

May 24, 2023 at 02:35 pm

I agree with your core points Wendell. But from what I read GB has about 4,500 hotel rooms. Even factoring in Appleton and the Fox Valley, you're still likely to see folks driving 90 miles out of the city to find a place to stay.

250,000 people all need housing. Maybe they can erect tents at the stadium.

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EnemyTerritory's picture

May 24, 2023 at 06:29 pm

Again, if the KC draft is any indication that’s not really the case. they estimated 300k attendees. I do not think that’s 300k people but rather a total attendance with some multi day returnees. On day three you could almost get a front seat to the draft stage. It’s all about accommodating the day one crowd. Don’t forget about airBnb rooms

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Rarescope's picture

May 25, 2023 at 07:25 am

“Don’t forget about airBnb rooms“

Or your friend’s couch in Kakauna ;)

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Rarescope's picture

May 25, 2023 at 07:28 am

I’m thinking day three is the day to go. I’m not wasting vacation days for it but I would like to go just because. Less crowded then too I am sure.

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