After an absence that lasted more than half a century, the NFL has decided to bring the draft back to Chicago for a second consecutive year in 2016. Mayor Rahm Emanuel and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon to make the official announcement about the draft's return to the city.
The NFL decided to hold the draft in Chicago last year after spending the previous 51 years in New York. The event, which included a Draft Town area with stores, fan activities and other attractions, drew more than 200,000 fans to Grant Park and was widely considered a success for its festival-style atmosphere. There are talks that the NFL and the city would like to further capitalize on the success and popularity of Draft Town and expand it even more next year.
It took only one year to convince the NFL that Chicago hosts a better party and is just a better city in general than New York. Furthermore, the Bears are projected to be terrible this year, so it'll be nice for us fans to have something football-related to look forward to when they get to make the first overall pick in front of their hometown fans. Granted, they will likely blunder that pick, but at least Chicagoans will be able to enjoy Draft Town again while they do.