Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says his state wants in on hosting the NFL Draft.
In a letter addressed to commissioner Roger Goodell, Shapiro lobbied that the city of Pittsburgh would be an ideal fit for one of the league’s great events.
“Pittsburgh has established itself as one of the most dynamic cities on the East Coast — and the birthplace of professional football,” Shapiro said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Pittsburgh is the best choice in the country to host the NFL Draft.”
The governor projected that the draft would draw 350,000 visitors to the city and inject over $100 million into the local economy.
“Tourism is one of the largest and most important industries in Pennsylvania, generating over $76 billion a year and supporting more than 486,000 jobs across the Commonwealth,” Shapiro wrote.
“Pittsburghers take exceptional pride in being a true American sports town with deep roots to NFL legends — Unitas, Marino, Ditka, Namath and Montana,” he concluded. “An NFL draft in Pittsburgh will far surpass attendance for the NFL over the 2022 and 2023 numbers — with all eyes on Pennsylvania.”
For the longest time the NFL held its annual draft at different venues across New York City. But in recent years its gone on tour to different host sites like Chicago, Philly, Dallas, Nashville, Cleveland, Vegas and Kansas City.