275K+ Football Fans Shatter First-round NFL Draft Record in Downtown Detroit

Football fans from metro Detroit, across the country, around the world — more than 275,000 in all — converged on downtown Detroit Thursday for the first round of the long-awaited 2024 NFL Draft and in the process smashed the previous record of 200,000 set in 2022 by Nashville.

Interest in the event was so great the league started turning people away 90 minutes prior to the start of the Draft because it had reached its 275,000 capacity. Those fans were encouraged to view the festivities from other nearby parks equipped with large-screen TVs and food trucks.

Police estimate a total of 400,000 people visited downtown Detroit Thursday, including vendors and fans who didn’t enter the Draft festivities.

“Everybody did a great job including the city of Detroit,” says Chris Moyers, spokesperson for Visit Detroit. “We are really proud of everyone and everything involved in last night. Now we just have to run it back for the next two days.”

In addition to the single-day record, Detroit’s NFL draft is on pace to beat the three-day record of 600,000 spectators, also held by Nashville.

Last night’s event began with Detroit Lions Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Aidan Hutchinson welcoming the crowd to the Motor City, along with Hall of Famers Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders. They were introduced by noted Lions fan Eminem.

Lions partisans weren’t sure what to expect from the hometown team during the Draft. Many were bracing for a trade out of the first round altogether. Many were surprised when the team traded up from No. 29 to No. 24 to select University of Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, who immediately embraced the crowd when he emerged from backstage.

“I’m home,” he exclaimed to the multitudes.

Visit Detroit President and CEO Claude Molinari says the city and its partners invested approximately $10 million in the city and its infrastructure in preparation for the NFL Draft.

The economic impact from the event is estimated to about $160 million, according to Patrick Anderson, CEO of East Lansing-based Anderson Economic Group.

Anderson says he expects the draft will have a direct economic impact of $97.5 million in Detroit and an indirect economic impact of $63.3 million. He estimates there will be 255,000 visitors attending with some coming to more than one event over the three-day period. Of the $97 million in direct impact, attendees are expected to spend an estimated $35 million.

In related news, DTE Energy reports its CleanVision MIGreenPower and Natural Gas Balance programs will offset emissions related to the production and operation of the NFL Draft in Detroit

DTE says it’s helping reduce carbon emissions associated with the NFL Draft by offsetting the carbon footprint of the energy used by the NFL for event production and operation, food and beverage preparation and consumption, merchandise sales, and the air and ground transportation for NFL employees and vendors.

DTE is securing offsets to protect forests in northern Michigan that are sequestering carbon and may have otherwise been cut down. These are the same types of carbon offsets that DTE uses to reduce the carbon footprints for many of its customers enrolled in the company’s voluntary Natural Gas Balance program.  Overall, this will equate to taking 310 cars off the road for a year (146,500 gallons of gasoline) or the annual electricity use of nearly 260 homes.

“DTE is excited to leverage the benefits of our voluntary renewable energy programs to create a cleaner environment for the NFL Draft and Visit Detroit,” says Tony Tomczak, vice president of electric sales and marketing at DTE Energy. “We’re thrilled that everyone involved shares DTE’s vision for a cleaner energy future. Reducing the carbon footprint of the event is in perfect alignment with our own plans to help keep Michigan a great place for our future generations to call home.”

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