NFL Draft's 3-Day Format Has Ruined the Fan Experience

It's finally time for the first night of the NFL draft. You're out on your deck with a cooler full of brews and a flaming hot grill. You're decked out in your favorite team's gear, and your nerves are jangling while you wait to find out who your team takes.

But you won't find out until morning's sun shines on your ashen coals, though. You're a native San Franciscan, and you're going to nod off in your deck chair somewhere around 1:30 a.m, before your beloved 49ers even go on the clock.

The 2012 NFL draft will be the third held during prime-time TV hours. For casual sports fans just wanting to see the first few picks or fans of Eastern time zone teams high up in the draft order, this setup beats the pants off waiting around all weekend.

But for the diehard supporters and the rest of the football-watching nation, the three-day format has ruined the draft-watching experience.

One of the biggest drivers of the NFL's popularity has been how it fits into the rhythm of modern American life. Weekend afternoons and evenings are the one flexible spot on many Americans' social calendars. Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET is nothing like that; for fans with families (or young fans IN families), that's bedtime on a school night.

Fans who liked to attend (or host) NFL draft parties over the weekend have had their one offseason excuse to tailgate taken away. Instead, the superfans troop out to bars and restaurants, hoping to capture some of that game-day atmosphere.

The problem is the NFL draft is nothing like a game of football.

If there are few trades, reaches or curveballs in the top 10, most of it is waiting around and listening to the talking heads ply their trade. If you're the kind of diehard who'll stay out until the wee small hours to watch the draft, those talking heads probably aren't telling you anything you don't already know.

Outside of those first few picks and when your team drafts, there's precious little excitement. That's when you'd rather be out on the deck, flipping burgers with your friends and family, only poking your head in for the little chimes that announce a new pick.

The TV numbers back this up. The first prime-time first round, in 2010, drew boffo ratings: 7.3 million fans watched. But according to Variety, the 2011 edition only drew 6.0 million viewers—a steep decline. The 2012 draft will show whether that was a lockout-caused blip or a trend that shows a severe lack of interest.

The growing interest in the NFL draft had the league convinced what was once the domain of hardcore football nerds was really an entertainment event for the masses. But putting the draft up against prime-time TV and weeknight scheduling conflicts might prove once and for all this event's popularity is just for the draftniks and the hardcore fans.