{"id":40701,"date":"2016-04-28T22:57:47","date_gmt":"2016-04-29T03:57:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=40701"},"modified":"2016-05-10T10:42:29","modified_gmt":"2016-05-10T15:42:29","slug":"cloudy-skies-dont-dampen-opening-day-of-nfl-draft-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/cloudy-skies-dont-dampen-opening-day-of-nfl-draft-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Cloudy Skies Don\u2019t Dampen Opening Day of NFL Draft Town"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Julia Cardi<\/strong><\/p>\n

Temperatures hovered in the 40s and a gray blanket of clouds hid the sun. But the less-than ideal April weather didn\u2019t deter football fans from congregating in Grant Park on Thursday to kick off the first day of the NFL Draft at Draft Town. The open-air festival, dubbed \u201cNFL Disneyland,\u201dattracted fans representing every team in the league. They participated in mock combine drills, sampled food from an array of Chicago restaurants and rode a 120-foot Ferris wheel.<\/p>\n

While the weather was a topic of much conversation, it didn\u2019t dampen the spirits of those who braved the chill. \u201cWe were going to be here rain or shine,\u201d said Hannah Yeiger, a San Francisco 49ers fan.<\/p>\n

\"Buckhingham
Buckhingham fountain serves as the center piece for NFL Draft town (Julia Cardi\/ Medill)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Yeiger came to Draft Town with L.J. Ruthringer, a Denver Broncos fan who was eager to see Broncos linebacker Von Miller speak later in the afternoon. Both Yeiger and Ruthringer, who live in Chicago, said they would have liked to attend the draft itself, but didn\u2019t sign up for the ticket lottery in time. They settled for a tour of Draft Town, which may be as close as they will get to the draft for some time.<\/p>\n

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told a group of Associated Press Sports Editors last week that the draft will \u201cvery likely\u201d take place elsewhere in 2017, after two years in Chicago. Ruthringer, however, didn\u2019t rule out a draft road trip. \u201cIt depends on how far,\u201d he said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t go to New York or anything for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

But he and Yeiger said they were grateful to participate in this year\u2019s festivities, even if they couldn\u2019t see Goodell present jerseys to their favorite teams\u2019 picks. \u201cIt\u2019s fun to have it so close,\u201d added Yeiger.<\/p>\n

Jeff Meyer and Ryan Eichler, Chicago residents and longtime Bears fans dressed in custom-made, three-piece orange suits with white pinstripes, said they would consider traveling for the draft under the right circumstances.<\/p>\n

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