The NFL Draft brings excitement all across the world.
As the arguably most anticipated event of the NFL’s offseason, the NFL Draft reels in millions of viewers across the nation as they watch to see who their favorite team selects to be the face of its future.
With the popularity of indoor football growing, should indoor football leagues incorporate a draft to their off-season schedule?
Audate: The Case for an Indoor Football Draft
The NFL’s draft takes place in April, during the league’s off-season. During this time, most indoor football teams have already started playing games
Any indoor league that might attempt to create a draft would have to host it during its offseason. Most teams have try-outs anywhere from September to December, in which they look for newcomers that can have an impact for them.
A draft would not only make indoor football more interesting, it would also attract young talent to a brand of football that they may otherwise not have an interest in.
This would give undrafted free agents from the NFL and student-athletes who graduated and are looking to continue playing at the pro level an opportunity to be praised for their talents, rather than have to showcase them at a try-out.
Just as the NFL holds its annual combine, indoor leagues and teams alike can host combines to scout young talent.
An indoor league draft would give undrafted free agents a second chance at pro football. Once the NFL’s preseason is over, many rookies are either added to practice squads or cut from their respective team.
If an indoor league was to incorporate a draft into its off-season schedule, these athletes would be able to then showcase their abilities in a brand of football that produced athletes such as Kurt Warner, Fred Jackson, and Jay Feely, all NFL greats.
Prospects would be put in the indoor football spotlight with a potential indoor football draft, giving face to the future any league that chooses to experiment with this idea.
With a draft, league-wide talent would increase every year. This would be great news for a league long term, as fans would idolize these prospects just as those who were also drafted in the NFL Draft.
A draft, if nothing else, would thrust an indoor league into the national spotlight. Because there’s no other indoor league currently attempting this stunt, indoor football fans from all across the country would take interest in a draft of this sort.
While competitive leagues watch in envy, the league that chooses to take this gamble would see its popularity soar to never before seen heights. Interested franchises may also decide to transfer over, leaving their former league for one that’s investing in its future.
A draft may even entice sponsors. Businesses are always looking for ways to advertise themselves to diverse markets, and an indoor league draft would be a splendid way for a business to endorse itself to broader audiences.
In order to survive, business partners are life-saving tools that any league could utilize in order to outlast rival leagues.
Anything that not only (legally) steals valuable assets from rival businesses and brings in revenue simultaneously would be worth an investment.
There’s also the possibility that an indoor football draft may fail. Just like any other business plan, an indoor league draft could fall short of its potential.
Depending on the extent of the investment, a failed draft may bankrupt an indoor league. A league may be too skeptical at the thought of a draft because of the disasters that may unfold in the aftermath.
A smaller issue may be that the draft was simply unsuccessful. Whether it be because teams choose to simply not participate or because certain quotas wouldn’t be met with a draft, leagues may conclude that a draft is too risky.
If draftees decided not to play after being drafted, this would put not only that team, but the league itself in the hot seat. Whether it’s because the athlete chose to retire from football entirely or because they were cut, fans would be highly disappointed to find that a highly touted prospect drafted by an indoor football organization won’t be seen in uniform.
That could hurt team and league popularity, and ultimately put a dagger in the heart of a leagues growth altogether.
There are several pros and con’s to an indoor league draft. While leagues across the country may have expansion drafts, there has never been a league bold enough to experiment with hand-picking its athletes fresh out of college.
Even the China Arena Football League has an annual draft, however, mostly veteran athletes are selected. If nothing else, any league that chooses to wager its future on a draft would win the fearless league award in my books.
There’s no way to actually determine whether a draft would benefit or kill a league, so until a league decides to host a draft, the debate on whether one would benefit indoor football will continue.
