Sports

Incomprehensible Video Presents Stark Contrast Between Rowdy NFL Draft And Green Bay Residence

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NFL Draft Green Bay Crowd
© Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A lot was made of the league’s decision to hold the NFL Draft in Green Bay. The city, while historic, does not carry the same je ne sais quoi as a big city like Las Vegas or Nashville, or even Detroit.

Football is life. More specifically, the Packers are life.

As a result, there will never be another NFL Draft like the one that will take place this weekend. It is remarkable to see the rowdy scene at the event itself compared to the silence throughout the rest of the city.

Green Bay is located at the head of the literal Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan. It is the third-most populous city in Wisconsin, behind Madison and Milwaukee, and the third-most populous city on Lane Michigan, behind Milwaukee and Chicago. But that is not saying much.

Madison boasts a population of approximately 280,000. Milwaukee hovers around 575,000. And then there is Green Bay, with a population of just 105,000.

The paper and packaging hub is actually the smallest market to have a major professional sports team in the United States in any league! The Packers are the only team to be “owned” by the people.

Those who have been to Green Bay know that it is a quaint midwest city that feels more like a large suburb than a major metropolitan municipality. Cam Ward could not wait to get out of town after the NFL Draft because, as Ashton Jeanty also said, there is not much to do there. Locals would contest that notion.

Despite all of the logistical challenges involved with getting to Lambeau Field, a crowd of more than 120,00 showed up on Thursday night. It was an incredible scene.

Meanwhile, just one block over, the city was completely dead. You would not know that the biggest offseason event in sports was taking place across the street. You would think that it was just another Thursday night in the burbs.

I cannot imagine the NFL will soon return to Green Bay for the Draft, but this first (and potentially only) trip to Titletown was pretty special. The contrast between the parking lot of Lambeau Field and the nearby residences is mind-boggling. There is no city in the world that can replicate the same passion for football.