April (Web-only) 2005

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The NFL Draft is an annual event of biblical proportions and, in the end, a vindication of biblical wisdom.

First the biblical proportions. The annual spring event, which took place again this past weekend, is anticipated in the millions—6.8 million, more or less. That's the number of websites that discuss the "NFL Draft" in one way or another.

Or should the figure be 34 million—the number of viewers who this last weekend tuned into the 18 hours of coverage on ESPN and ESPN2? Mind you, this sporting event is not a sport. Nothing happens. It is the worst television imaginable: Man speaks from behind a podium for about 20 seconds. Leaves podium for 15 minutes, while three or four announcers, sitting behind a studio desk, analyze what the man from the podium just said. Then the man returns to the podium and the whole thing begins again. (Oh yes, and half a dozen commercials find their way into that 15-minute gap.) All this is viewed by a multitude of the television host?

But even 34 million is not biblically proportional enough, for many, many (millions?) more who never get around to watching the weekend event nonetheless speculate, argue, debate for weeks leading up to it. The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated run special sections the week before and the week after the draft. Websites like drafthistory.com break down all previous drafts by position, colleges, year drafted, name, and so on and so forth. The Sporting News also annually publishes The Complete Football Draft Encyclopedia, a 704 page compendium of analysis, history, and more stats than grains of sand on the Sea of Galilee. And on it goes.

What's with these multitudes? In part, the interest has to do with the way the NFL Draft toys with, and eventually ...