I Hate That I Love The NFL Draft

My most painful admission.

I’d like to think that I’m a modern, sophisticated sports fan.

Though sports is a big part of my life, I don’t engage in the blind tribalism or meatheaded behavior traditionally associated with fans. I appreciate both the subtle nuances of each sport and the complexities of the businesses behind them, and I view players as they people they are instead of pawns or playing-pieces. I believe that college athletes should be paid, that professional players’ unions have every right to demand their fair share of the profits owners make from their labor, and that municipalities shouldn’t allow themselves to be blackmailed into building billion-dollar stadium for private money machines masquerading as public goods.

It’s with all that said, then, that I have a terrible confession to make.

I love the NFL Draft.

I hate myself for even saying this, because I don’t even like the NFL that much these days. The terrorizing behemoth of North American professional sports, the National Football League has ta…