How powerful is the NFL? Well, there’s a rumor floating around that the league will shut down all forms of social media throughout the world during the draft, beginning with the all-important second round tonight.
According to an unconfirmed report, there are the only exceptions: Tweets by Rob Lowe concerning Peyton Manning; and simply anything related to Tim Tebow.
Otherwise, there will be a worldwide blackout. Take that, Mark Zuckerberg!
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I’ve been told I need to come up with bold headlines to drive traffic. Besides, I wouldn’t put it past the NFL to pull it off, given all its clout and money.
The league and networks have quite a franchise to protect. A combined 25.3 million viewers tuned in Thursday to ESPN and the NFL Network’s coverage. The rating set a new record and proved once again that we have nothing else better to do.
I’m sure what happened involving Twitter sparked considerable discussion within the league and its TV partners. As I’ve written throughout the day, much of the drama disappeared with tweets from numerous outlets revealing upcoming picks well in advance of the formal announcement on the networks.
Will the trend continue for round 2? Earlier today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter told me he will keep on tweeting if he has the information despite complaints from some of his 1.56 million followers.
Let’s see how early we learn who the Rams take with the first pick of the second round prior to the 7 p.m. (Eastern) start.
Now the big question: How did you feel about Twitter and the draft? Here’s a sample from some of the responses I received:
Aaron: Schefter is a beast. I follow him on Twitter but avoided looking at my phone in order to enjoy the broadcast. Maybe next year, the NFL will adopt the movie theater policy and request all viewers to turn off all electronic devices.
Ada: It is a double-edged sword. Beating people by 2 minutes doesn’t increase his credibility. Would not tweeting it hurt? Sounds like he believes it does.
Matt: It seems like the league would have a rule against leaking picks. Maybe Goodell wasn’t prepared to face the awesome might of the Twitterverse.
Shari: It’s not the Oscars. Unless you’re being drafted, anyone so deeply invested in draft suspense can stay off Twitter.
Eric: Did not bother me at all. We watch the draft for analysis by Kiper’s hair and trades.
More thoughts? Let me know.