Ten days after generating controversy for calling NFL owners “stupid” due to Shedeur Sanders not being selected in the first round of the Draft, President Donald Trump officially announced that Washington DC will be the host city for the NFL Draft in 2027. The announcement was made this Monday at a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House, accompanied by the owner of the Washington Commanders, Josh Harris; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, and the city’s mayor, Muriel Bowser.
The president announced that the event will take place at the iconic National Mall. “It’s going to be beautiful, it’s going to be something that no one else will be able to duplicate,” Trump stated. Goodell, on the other hand, described the choice of venue as “a special gift”, and estimated an attendance of over a million people during the event days.
The world-famous National Mall is a vast park in the heart of Washington DC, which extends from the Capitol, the seat of Congress, to the Lincoln Memorial. The famous Washington Monument obelisk is also located there.
A great business for cities
The NFL Draft represents a significant event for the cities that host it. This year, Green Bay, Wisconsin, hosted the Draft and managed to bring together approximately 600,000 fans over three days, generating tens of millions of dollars for the local economy.
Mayor Muriel Bowser highlighted the economic and social value of this type of initiative: “We believe in investing in sports because it has helped us transform neighborhoods, and having the NFL bring this event to the nation’s capital will help us fill hotels and restaurants.”
From 1965 to 2014, the Draft was held uninterruptedly at Radio City Music Hall in New York, but since 2015 the NFL has taken it to different cities, generating a great media, social, and economic impact.
The city of Pittsburgh will be hosting the 2026 Draft.
The difficult relationship between Trump and the NFL
This new approach marks a notable change in the relationship between Donald Trump and the NFL, which in the past was marked by episodes of tension.
During Monday’s conference, Harris gave the president a football and a Commanders jersey with the number 47, in recognition of his position as president, and referring to him as “the supreme commander”.
Trump has had a prominent presence in recent NFL events. In February, he became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl, and last week he welcomed the Philadelphia Eagles to the White House to celebrate their victory in the final against the Kansas City Chiefs, despite several key players from the champions not attending.
The contrast with his first term is noticeable. In 2017, Trump canceled the traditional reception for the Eagles after winning the Super Bowl, following several players stating they would not attend. That same year, he sparked controversy by harshly criticizing players who protested during the national anthem by kneeling as a form of protest against racial injustices.
Trump also had a previous history with the NFL before becoming president. Over the years, he tried to acquire teams such as the Baltimore Colts, the New England Patriots, and the Buffalo Bills, but was unsuccessful in completing any of these purchases.
Football returns to the capital
The announcement about the Draft coincides with another important news for the capital. Last week, Mayor Bowser revealed the Commanders’ plan to build a new stadium on the site of the old RFK Stadium. Although the project still needs to be approved by the city council, the new venue, with a capacity of 65,000 people, is expected to be ready by 2030.
The estimated investment for the stadium is $2.7 billion dollars, according to the proposal presented. Since 1997, the Commanders have played their home games at the stadium located in Landover, Maryland, 10 miles from Washington.
About the new stadium Trump said that it “is going to be top-notch. I know these people very well, and they only know the top level...I have no doubt they will do a special job.”