NLL Draft 2023 – They should’ve broadcasted it!
Following a season where a goaltender (shout out to the big boys!) in Christian Del Bianco won league MVP. A season where the almighty San Diego Seals were upset early (choke job?). A season where Dhane Smith and the Buffalo Bandits finally broke through. A season where the league reported one MILLION+ fans in attendance. Following all of this… the National Lacrosse League and 2nd year commissioner Brett Frood decided it was in their best interests to NOT broadcast their own league’s draft on Saturday September 15th, 2023.
I first reported this on September 5th. Hello, I am Michael Karvelis. I host the ONLY live Monday thru Friday lacrosse talk show called Daily Dive. Season 2 begins 11.1.2023, and I got to say: writing this article hurts me.
You have Dyson bleeping Williams as the consensus #1 pick. He is the son of Shawn who got inducted into the NLL’s Hall of Fame on Friday September 14th, and who coaches the Las Vegas Desert Dogs (they have the 4th overall pick by the way). It’s simply inexcusable.
However, let’s take the angry fanatic aspect out of this. Why is this not happening? Why is there no draft broadcast? To my knowledge, this supposedly saves the league money. If ESPN / TSN wasn’t going to pay for the production, there would be no broadcast. Granted, ESPN seems to be in bed with the rival lacrosse league PLL, but this is the reality. Does this reasoning make sense?
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Right now, yes. The league is lacking on outside money. It’s one of the best arguments in favor of Brett Frood. He helped a NASCAR team owned by Tony Stewart bring in multiple sponsors. Obviously, being announced as commissioner in September 2022, he maybe hasn’t had the opportunity to grab a major sponsor or two.
Long term, this makes absolutely no sense. Think about this: The PLL had the privilege of hosting its draft on an ESPN channel. But that was before this amazing season. Do we really think the PLL gained a ton of immediate earnings? There’s no way. But it does make sense that when fans look back and see that they took even a draft seriously, the fans might respect it more. So what is the reasoning besides “We want money immediately”?
The reality is that there is no valid reasoning. It is a disaster in decision making, and I challenge anybody to justify it. If this league can succeed the way I and many others believe it can, they need to take more chances. Stop being high and tight. Stop being overly cautious. The future is now. No more “Growing the Game” as a slogan because social media in 2023 gets the most average TikTok person famous. There is NO excuse for being an afterthought sports league anymore.
I am optimistic, believe me. But this can never happen again. It’s time to do what’s uncomfortable and branch out. Broaden the horizons. Don’t settle when we’ve seen PLL and WNBA thrive this season alone. There is definitely a market for a sports league that feature amazing highlights, a fast pace, and fights.
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