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Ye Olden Days of American Sports-NFL Edition

Not so very long ago, up until the late 1980s, in fact, the first day of the NFL draft was the most loathed and feared entry on the calendar for American newspaper sports section editors working at the office, or anybody at the office in other departments for that matter. The phones melted with the frantic calls wondering who the Patriots (or Eagles, Bears, etc.) had chosen with their first pick. The calls naturally began hours before the draft started, and continued well past when Pete Rozelle had gone to bed.

Progress. You can't fight it. First came ESPN, and they begat Mel Kiper, and he begat the Internet, and it begat many sites covering the draft, and they begat the little crawls that'll run under every TV broadcast of an actual sports event today which'll spread the news of how the Redskins screwed up this time to all the world. Wherever Osama bid Laden is, he'll learn who the Titans picked in real time.

I haven't been in a newspaper sports department for a few years, but I wouldn't be surprised if the calls they get today are from people wanting to know how to get away from it.

posted by Michael Gee @ 7:14 AM