VisitPittsburgh CEO says Pittsburgh is 'certainly an ideal destination' to host NFL Draft
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — This year the NFL Draft is being hosted by Kansas City while next year is in Detroit.
But is there really any better city than Pittsburgh to host the draft, home of the Steelers? Let me tell you what the experts say.
"Cities are becoming more and more aware of the benefits of hosting the draft in their home market," VisitPittsburgh CEO Jerad Bacher said. "Pittsburgh is certainly an ideal destination."
For over 50 years, the draft was always in New York City. But in recent years, the draft has moved to different cities. So far, Pittsburgh has never submitted a bid to host. Bacher said that may change soon.
KDKA-TV's Jon Delano: "Do you think it's likely that Pittsburgh will submit a bid for 2026 or 2027?"
Bacher: "There's a lot of decisions that have to be made yet. We're looking at that right now. We're going to Kansas City this week to look at what Kansas City is doing logistically."
Also key is the desire of the Steelers organization to push the bid since the 32 team owners decide the location of the draft. A spokesperson for the Steelers said:
"We believe that Pittsburgh can be an excellent host to showcase the great history that connects Western Pennsylvania to the early roots of professional football and the evolution of the game through the decades. We look forward to working toward the day when Pittsburgh could host an upcoming NFL Draft."
Bacher said the economic benefit is incredible.
"We expect there would be around 300,000 to 400,000 people that would come in over that weekend, around 45 million viewers watching the NFL Draft, so all eyes are on your city," he said. "And the economic impact is around $130 million."
"This is a huge football town," said Mike Sukitch of Mike's Beer Bar. "Bringing more people into the city would be a real big deal for Pittsburgh."
Local bars, restaurants and hotels love the idea. So do the fans.
"I think Pittsburgh ought to be considered in the future because of the deep fan base," said George Hargenrader.
And one fan from Dublin says he'd return for an NFL draft in Pittsburgh.
"This is a city that loves sports," said Declan North. "It's absolutely sports-mad. The NFL should be sharing the draft with other cities. Why not here? Pittsburgh."
In the end, the decision on whether make a bid to host the NFL Draft is really up to the Steelers organization and the Rooneys, but you can be sure when they do so, the city of Pittsburgh will be right behind them