<![CDATA[Nashville gets 2019 NFL Draft; Canton hopes for 2020]]> By Alison Matas 
GateHouse Media Ohio

Posted at 10:06 AMUpdated at 10:37 AM

The NFL on Wednesday announced the 2019 draft will be in Nashville.

CANTON Northeast Ohio will not host next year’s NFL Draft.

The NFL on Wednesday announced Nashville will host the 2019 draft, which ESPN reported earlier this month.

Cleveland and Canton, along with three other cities, remain in the running to host the 2020 NFL Draft.

No announcement was made about where that draft will be held, despite the fact that league officials had said the location of both years’ drafts would be decided during the league’s spring meeting.

Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker in an emailed statement congratulated Nashville on receiving the draft.

“The Hall of Fame in partnership with the Cleveland Browns, the Cleveland Sports Commission and Visit Canton stand ready to host the NFL Draft in 2020 should we be selected,” the statement read. “In the meantime, the Hall and the entire Canton region remains focused on preparing for the once-in-every-other-lifetime opportunity in 2020 to celebrate the NFL’s Centennial in Canton, the birthplace of the league.”

A joint bid by Cleveland and Canton was named a finalist for either the 2019 or the 2020 NFL Draft, competing against Nashville, Denver, Kansas City and Las Vegas.

Northeast Ohio’s application was a partnership among the Hall, Visit Canton, the Cleveland Browns and the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. The bid has not been released to the public, but details shared by those involved were that Canton only would host the final day of the event and a possible dinner before the first day of the draft.

Facilities proposed for the draft included Public Auditorium in Cleveland — near the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland — and Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, the youth fields, and the Hall’s bust gallery in Canton.

Canton had its draft site visit at the end of March, and Cleveland had two visits, including one during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
 

During Canton’s visit, a few hundred people crowded onto the field at Benson Stadium to greet NFL representatives and chant “bring it home” in the rain.

In contrast, the NFL was in Nashville less than a week later for the unveiling of the Tennessee Titans’ new uniforms when 20,000 people flooded the streets of Music City in 40-degree weather for a free Florida Georgia Line concert held as part of the event.

Losing the 2019 NFL Draft means Canton’s option now is to hold a day of the 2020 draft in a year that already has some other major events planned for the birthplace of football.

Canton always hosts the annual enshrinement festival in August, and it’s expected the city also will hold a days-long centennial celebration around Sept. 17, 2020, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the league’s origins in downtown Canton. Both would require the aid of thousands of volunteers and an upfront commitment of millions of dollars from the surrounding community.

Baker originally said he would prefer to host the 2019 draft as a kickoff to the NFL’s 100th season, since Canton already is planning to throw the NFL a birthday party in 2020.

It’s not clear how strong Northeast Ohio’s chances are of landing the 2020 draft compared to Denver, Kansas City and Las Vegas.

 

Reports from Denver news outlets on Wednesday said Denver is not a likely candidate to receive the 2020 draft because of hotel scheduling conflicts.

Las Vegas is though to have a shot at 2020 because the Raiders will have relocated, and the new $1.9-billion stadium being built for the team will be nearly finished.

http://www.cantonrep.com/news/20180523/nashville-gets-2019-nfl-draft-canton-hopes-for-2020

]]>https://brownsboard.com/topic/50137/nashville-gets-2019-nfl-draft-canton-hopes-for-2020RSS for NodeFri, 02 Oct 2026 19:34:14 GMTWed, 23 May 2018 16:44:24 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Nashville gets 2019 NFL Draft; Canton hopes for 2020 on Wed, 23 May 2018 17:48:59 GMT]]> Or, if you prefer a pure bluegrass version.....Flatt and Scruggs covered the Lovin's Spoonful song :

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/793283https://brownsboard.com/post/793283Wed, 23 May 2018 17:48:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Nashville gets 2019 NFL Draft; Canton hopes for 2020 on Wed, 23 May 2018 17:45:10 GMT]]> I expect it to be here in 2020.   The 100th anniversary.  The Nashville affair will be OK...but it will be all about shitkickers and goathumpers.    The NE Ohio affair will be about football. 

Nevertheless, in deference and in recognition of Nashville getting the event, here you go:

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/793282https://brownsboard.com/post/793282Wed, 23 May 2018 17:45:10 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Nashville gets 2019 NFL Draft; Canton hopes for 2020 on Wed, 23 May 2018 17:14:16 GMT]]> Even though we all think that the NE OHIO bid is a logical choice I wonder how much this will play into things.....

.......It’s not clear how strong Northeast Ohio’s chances are of landing the 2020 draft compared to Denver, Kansas City and Las Vegas.

Reports from Denver news outlets on Wednesday said Denver is not a likely candidate to receive the 2020 draft because of hotel scheduling conflicts.

Las Vegas is though to have a shot at 2020 because the Raiders will have relocated, and the new $1.9-billion stadium being built for the team will be nearly finished.......

Is Cleveland due?

]]>https://brownsboard.com/post/793278https://brownsboard.com/post/793278Wed, 23 May 2018 17:14:16 GMT