How can we give Johnny Manziel the benefit of the doubt?
October 19, 2015Cavs beat Mavs 103-97, claim first and only preseason win
October 19, 2015Canton, Ohio is the renowned the birthplace of football, and the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. And, CantonRep.com reports, if representatives from the Pro Football Hall of Fame have their way, then it will also be a future host for the NFL Draft.
David Baker, president and executive directory of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, noted “I can’t guarantee it’s going to happen,” Baker said, per the Canton Repository. “But we’re gonna fight awful hard for this thing.”
Earlier this year, Chicago, IL broke the stranglehold New York City, NY had held on hosting the NFL draft since 1965. With Chicago set to host again in 2016, the NFL has been accepting applications for future years. Canton recently applied for hosting duties of the 2019 and 2020 NFL Drafts.
Canton’s applications are in-line with the historical nature of the NFL’s place in professional football history. 2019 will be the 100th NFL season and 2020 will mark the NFL centennial.
Another aspect of Canton’s bid is the construction of their Hall of Fame Village, which broke ground this past summer.
From the Pro Football Hall of Fame website:
The Master Plan for Hall of Fame Village set forth a bold vision for the Pro Football Hall of Fame that will be transformational and impactful. HOF Village Master Plan is expected to generate substantial level of new visitation, spending, income, employment, and tax revenues for local, state and regional areas. The quantifiable benefits serve as “return on investment” for public dollars. The impact of the project will elevate Canton and Stark County’s profile and brand as a visitor destination and as a quality place to live and work. The total construction costs for HOF Village are estimated at $476 million. The project is slated to start this summer with the first phase to be completed by 2019.
HOF Village will include the following components:
- Pro Football Hall of Fame Museum
- Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
- Hotel & Conference Center
- Hall of Fame NFL Experience
- Youth Fields
- Legends Landing/Residential
- Center for Excellence (training and educational complex to include a Center for Athletic Performance & Safety, Academy of Corporate Excellence, Character Camps, Coaches University, and the Institute of Integrity for Officiating).
- Retail/Restaurant/Office space
Also, WFNY’s Jacob Rosen notes the upcoming years could be a special time for big events in Northeast Ohio:
Cavs trying to get 2018 or 2019 NBA All-Star Game. Indians trying to get 2019 or 2020 MLB All-Star Game. Oh, and that 2016 RNC, too.
— Jacob L. Rosen (@JacobLRosen) October 19, 2015
6 Comments
I think I would make a trip back home for this. 😀
If the NFL doesn’t select Canton for one of these drafts, I’ll be really interested in their explanation.
Is that Tom Benson from New Orleans? Owner of the Saints and Pels? How did that happen?
This looks amazing. the NFL would be making a bad decision if they put the kibosh on these plans.
The media will whine and moan about the surrounding community…just like they did about the Jacksonville Super Bowl.
They love cosmopolitan communities with lot’s of posh freebies.
To them, events like this are working vacations. With the emphasis on vacation.
then why is there even a team in New Orleans? It’s the least posh city i’ve ever been, outside of Mempis.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000433637/article/tom-benson-makes-11-million-pledge-to-hall-of-fame
Benson is very old and possibly nearing (or at) senility. I think he’s done a lot of estate planning and such.