Pittsburg, PA
Report: Detroit Received $213 Million NFL Draft Windfall As Pittsburgh Prepares For 2026
One of the best decisions the NFL has made over the last several years was taking the annual NFL Draft on the road. It was hosted in New York City from 1965 to 2014 before a two-year stint in Chicago. Since then, they have moved from city to city, drawing huge in-person audiences. Detroit hosted the 2024 NFL Draft and broke the attendance records for the event with 775,000 fans over three days.
Visit Detroit and the Detroit Sports Commission issued a report that added up the city’s total revenue, which came in at a whopping $213 million, per WILX News.
The NFL announced in late May that Pittsburgh was awarded the 2026 draft, so seeing the type of economic impact Detroit achieved is pretty exciting for the city. The initial estimate just days after the event in Detroit was $165 million, and even those lofty calculations were surpassed by nearly 30 percent.
It is the sum of all the hotel bookings, food and merch sales, vendors supporting the event, sales tax revenue, and everything else that comes with an influx of nearly a million people in a city’s downtown area.
When the event was hosted in tier-one cities like Chicago and New York City, it would draw crowds of 200,000 or so. The move to tier 2 and 3 cities in smaller markets with more dedicated sports fan bases has caused a boom in attendance. Three of the most-attended drafts were Nashville (692,000 population), Las Vegas (656,000), and Detroit (620,000).
That trend of success in smaller cities will be put to the test in Green Bay in 2025, with a population of 106,000. They have a rich football history in that region, but it is also pretty far out of the way of population centers in the country. Their success could be a good sign for Pittsburgh, which has a population of 303,000.
The NFL repeatedly cited Pittsburgh’s geographic proximity to other major sports and football markets as a reason for choosing the city. The turnout could be even higher than the 350,000 attendance estimate that Pittsburgh officials gave to WPXI’s Jenna Harner in May, shortly after the announcement.
“We’re estimating there’ll be over 300 to 350,000 visitors that would come to Pittsburgh, putting an economic impact anywhere from 100 million to $150 million,” Allegheny County Exec Rich Fitzgerald told Harner. “And that’s, I think, being actually somewhat conservative.”
Pittsburgh hosting the draft will be a massive cultural event for the city. It will also bring a large economic boost to local businesses and provide tax revenue to help fund improvements for the city.
Pittsburg, PA
Steelers Have Weekly Plans for Justin Fields
The Pittsburgh Steelers have put their plan to increase quarterback Justin Fields’ involvement in motion, though it’s not yet a completely ironed-out component of the offense.
Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, Fields stated that the Steelers have a package in place for him every week, though it isn’t always clear how or when he’ll be utilized.
“I have a set package each and every week,” Fields said. “I think the play-calling is random to be honest with you. It’s kind of a feel thing with Arthur [Smith]. How I’m going to be used is a question for him honestly.”
After logging three snaps and rushing for 17 yards in Pittsburgh’s Week 11 win over the Baltimore Ravens, Fields saw his reps more than doubled to seven in a Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
The highlight of the 25-year-old’s day was a 30-yard run in the fourth quarter that advanced the Steelers into Cleveland territory, with the drive resulting in a Jaylen Warren touchdown. Fields’ two other attempts on the ground went for a combined -4 yards.
Pittsburgh also put their trust in him through the air on a 3rd-and-4 play while up 19-18 with 3:34 left in the contest. On his first throw since Week 6, Fields targeted George Pickens down the field but couldn’t complete the connection, which brought on the punt unit.
The Browns scored on their ensuing possession before thwarting the Steelers’ final scoring attempt of the night to clinch the victory.
Russell Wilson, who went 21-for-28 with 270 yards and a touchdown, also shared his uncertainty as to how and when Fields would be inserted into games moving forward.
“I don’t know when it’s going to happen,” Wilson said. “Whenever it does, all I want us to do is win. When Justin gets in there I’m rooting for Justin to do great and make a big play. When I go back in, it’s vice versa. We’re always rooting for each other.”
The Steelers haven’t been quiet about their intentions to continue featuring Fields. While things didn’t shake their way against the Browns as they perfect those arrangements, it’s fair to assume they’ll continue to ramp up his participation as the season continues on.
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Pittsburg, PA
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Pittsburg, PA
Wisconsin storms back against Pittsburgh to win Greenbrier Tip-Off
The Wisconsin Badgers are the 2024 Greenbrier Tip-Off champions.
Wisconsin, ranked No. 19 in the nation, improved to 7-0 by coming back from a double-digit deficit to defeat Pittsburgh (6-1) 81-75 Sunday evening in West Virginia. The comeback completed a sweep of the showcase, having defeated Central Florida in their first game of the tip-off on Friday afternoon.
John Tonje led the Badgers with 33 points. The star guard was 11-of-19 shooting and a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. It’s his second 30-point game of the season; his first was a 41-point explosion in Wisconsin’s win over then-No. 9 Arizona on Nov. 15.
Pittsburgh jumped out to a 20-8 lead nearly 10 minutes into the first half before the Badgers clawed back to within 34-27 at the half.
In the second half, Pittsburgh kept the Badgers at bay, leading 50-45 with 12:22 to go before Wisconsin went on a run and grew a lead to 71-64 with 4:15 remaining.
The Badgers have scored at least 79 points in all seven games this season, which is a program first.
Up next: Wisconsin vs. Chicago State, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. CT.
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