Small Town, Big Stage: Why hosting the 2025 NFL Draft is a really big deal for Wisconsin

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By Christina Lorey

April 11, 2025

For the first time ever, Green Bay will host not just the draft, but any major, league-wide event.

Since moving out of New York in 2015, the NFL Draft has become a massive spectacle–exploding from essentially a giant conference call into a three-day destination event.

Over the past decade, the league has awarded the draft to various NFL teams’ home cities. Chicago, Philadelphia, and Dallas hosted the first few, but more recently, the draft has gone to smaller markets like Nashville (2019), Cleveland (2021), and Kansas City (2023.) In 2024, Detroit hosted the draft, making this year’s event in Green Bay the midwest’s fourth consecutive draft!

Why is that such a big deal?

According to the NFL, as many as 300,000 fans plan a special trip just to attend the draft each year. That number is roughly three times the total population of Green Bay and about equal to the entire population of Green Bay metro.

And visitors equals money. The Packers estimate travelers will generate a $94 million economic impact statewide and $20 million locally.

🏈 FUN FACT: Although this is Green Bay’s first draft, it’s not Wisconsin’s first. The 1940 NFL Draft was held at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center (the Schroeder Hotel at the time.)

The 2025 Draft runs from April 24-27.

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Author

Christina Lorey

Christina Lorey is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist and former UpNorthNews newsletter editor. She previously worked as a producer, reporter, and TV anchor for stations in Madison and Moline. When she’s not writing or asking questions, Christina volunteers with Girls on the Run, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and several mental health organizations.

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CATEGORIES: SPORTS

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