WHAT THE HELL ROGER GOODELL???

For as long as I can remember, the NFL Draft has been one of my favorite weekends of the year. As soon as the Super Bowl ends and the football season is officially over, I immediately begin looking forward to the draft. For some reason, a reason I can't really explain to you, I love to just sit there for an entire weekend and watch the commissioner read off people's names. Yes, it is ridiculously boring, in theory. But I find it incredibly exciting, especially when it comes to who my beloved New York Giants are going to pick. I'll even sit there throughout the 7th round, when the teams are picking players I've never heard of and who probably won't make their respective team's rosters, unless of course their name is Ahmad Bradshaw or Michael Johnson. CHYEAH.

Because of my love for the draft, I've always made some sort of an event with it. First and foremost, I do this so that my calendar is taken up for that weekend and I don't commit to any sort of other activity. Second, once it is established that I will be watching the draft and doing nothing else, my friends know not to bother me, unless of course they are taking part in the festivities. In college, my friend Holly (a Jets fan... yeah I know, I feel sorry for her too) and I used to watch the draft together every year, ordering DP Dough or Wings Over Ithaca and basking in the glory that is this very special weekend. Since college has ended, Rory, Scott and I have started a new tradition: The Annual NFL Draft/White Castle Extravaganza. What happens is we purchase many cases of cheap beer, and we play drinking games throughout the day while the draft is going on. Then when dinner time arrives, we go to White Castle and get a crave case of cheeseburgers (30 sliders) along with a few sacks of chicken rings. We then return home, house the entire supply of food, and continue drinking. It is a day of great jubilation, and one I look forward to every year.

Unfortunately though, Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the NFL, has been doing everything in his power to ruin this tradition for us since he has come into power. For the first year of the Extravaganza, and all the years before that I can remember, the first 3 rounds of the draft began on Saturday at around noon and lasted all day. Rounds 4 through 7 were then on Sunday. It was the perfect setup for the Extravaganza. Last year, which was the 2nd Annual NFL Draft/White Castle Extravaganza, Goodell moved Rounds 1 and 2 to later on Saturday, with a start time of 4:00 PM. Not a move I liked, but we adjusted properly and began the Extravaganza later.

Now for next year, he's taking the ruin to a whole 'nother level. The plan is for the 1st round to be on primetime Thursday night, the 2nd and 3rd rounds to be on primetime Friday night, and finally for rounds 4 through 7 to be on all day Saturday. THE DRAFT WAS GOOD THE WAY IT WAS!! WHY ARE YOU RUINING IT?!?! Obviously this is a money-making scheme so they can charge premium advertising fees for primetime television, but come on! Are we supposed to have the entire Extravaganza Thursday night? Split it between 2 nights? Wait until Saturday day? The first two options may not work, because a key component of the Extravaganza is day drinking, and the last option may not work because the over-the-top excitement of the 1st round was another key component. I have no idea what I'm going to do. Please feel free to send me ideas.

I will continue to watch every minute of the draft for sure, and please know that the Extravaganza is not in jeopardy of being discontinued. But because of Goodell we have to re-work the entire event to make it work, so that the tradition may continue. Mr. Goodell, I promise you this one thing: despite your best efforts to ruin a sacred event, I guarantee the tradition of the Annual NFL Draft/White Castle Extravaganza will go on. WE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED.