As expected due to COVID-19, the 2020 draft for the National Football League will be unlike any other draft we have experienced as sport fans. Club personnel, League staff, prospects, current NFL players and legends, and entertainers will all be participating from their couches this year.
The NFL has already announced their “Draft-A-Thon,” in which fans can directly contribute towards the COVID-19 epidemic. In addition to that, the league announced on Monday, April 20 that they will be introducing several other ways for fans to virtually get in on the action from the comfort of their own homes.
A series of Draft-themes experiences and content are to be released on the popular social media outlets Snapchat and TikTok. Those with the apps will be excited with all the new content they will be able to create, as Snapchat will be adding new unique lenses, stickers and filters; while on TikTok, a hashtag challenge will take place. To go along with that, the NFL also partnered with Spotify to create an NFL official draft day playlist, which will include music chosen by the biggest names in the 2020 draft class as well as highlight videos.
Snapchat, one of the most popular social media apps in the world, has created a variety of new content for draft night. They have created a variety of new lenses and filters to help everyone celebrate draft day from home while also giving them an opportunity to donate to COVID-19 relief efforts. Starting on the first night of the draft, people watching from home will be able to take a picture of themselves where it looks like they are being drafted by their favorite team, complete with the same looking jersey and hat as the prospects. The lense will also include a donation button which will go towards the NFL’s Draft-A-Thon fundraising efforts to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although, that is not all Snapchat will be doing for the NFL draft. To go along with the new lenses and filters, NFL shows throughout the week will appear on the app, featuring mock drafts, a lookback at some of the best outfits on draft day, some of the greatest draft picks of all time, and a live-updating show of highlights which will post twice a day on Thursday and Friday to show some of the prospects’ reactions from home.
TikTok, the app that allows you to watch, create, and share unique videos, created its own type of content for the Draft. They are partnering with the NFL through the hashtag challenge #GoingPro, where TikTok users are able to live out their dream of being drafted into the League by putting on a hat and transforming into a new scene.
With two of the biggest names in social media by its side, the NFL looks to be very determined to turn this anomaly of a draft into a success. To be fair, the League is under a large amount of pressure to put on a good show during the draft. For many people in the world, the upcoming NFL draft on April 23 is the most important event surrounding sports they will have seen in many many weeks. It would not be shocking if this was the most viewed NFL draft of all time. Given that, it is encouraging to see the league trying their hardest to make the virtual draft as much fun as possible for its fans. There is only one question I have left, how will the commissioner get booed?
