Another Request

Dear David Freeman,

The other day I requested that you and the rest of the Predators ownership do more to attract high-profile concerts to Nashville, to bring in revenue to the Sommet Center. I have another idea for you today.

On ESPN's draft coverage earlier this morning, they pointed out that this is the last year of the NFL's contract to hold the draft in Radio City Music Hall in New York City, leaving open the possibility of having the NFL Draft in other cities in the years to come. There's been serious talk of having the draft rotate around the different NFL cities, to bring the excitement everywhere else.

Now, I realize that this may not happen...ESPN loves having it in New York, because all of the drunk heckling Giants and Jets fans make for great television. But if it does happen, you've got to get the NFL Draft to come to Nashville!

Nashville hosted the NHL Draft in 2003. It was a huge success, bringing 13,000 fans to the arena and bringing in $10 million to the city in one weekend. Now imagine how many more fans and how much more money we'd attract with the NFL Draft, given how football is a much bigger business (and, frankly, more popular sport) here in Tennessee. I'd imagine it'd be several times what the NHL Draft pulled.

And now that they're finally going to build the new downtown Westin, we'll have somewhere to put all the out-of-towners. I just hope it has enough rooms--the hotel that hosts the ESPN people will need to have one room for Mel Kiper and at least two rooms for his ego. Hmm, maybe it'd be easier just to put them all up at the Opryland...

Again, this is all still hypothetical. But it's definitely something anyone concerned with the long-term profitability of the Sommet Center should consider.

And ESPN people, if you've ever seen a Titans game, then you know that Nashville can provide all the drunk heckling fans you need. The only difference is that unlike Jets fans, we heckle other teams, not our own.