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The NFL Draft is the 'biggest event' Kansas City has ever seen

 A crowd of fans enter the NFL Draft experience on April 27, 2023.
Chris Fortune
/
KCUR 89.3
A crowd of fans enter the NFL Draft experience on April 27, 2023.

The NFL Draft started in 1936 with no media coverage, but has blossomed to a nationally televised event that is the largest non sporting event in America bringing hundreds of thousands of football fans to Kansas City

The eyes of the sporting world are on Union Station in Kansas City as a series of college athletes look to fulfill life-long dreams.

KCUR's Up To Date looked at the NFL Draft from several angles — from its history, to how Kansas City got selected to host the 2023 event, predictions for what the Chiefs will do, and how fans can make sure to have a safe event.

  • Aubrey Walton, director of event location strategy and planning for the NFL
  • Sgt. Jake Becchina, spokesman with the Kansas City Missouri Police Department
  • Greg Echlin, KCUR's sports reporter
  • Aaron Ladd, sports anchor for KSHB 41
  • Michael McCambridge, author of America's Game: The Epic Story of How Pro Football Captured a Nation and'69 Chiefs: A Team, a Season and the Birth of Modern Kansas City.

The 2023 NFL Draft runs through Saturday, April 29.

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When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As an assistant producer on Up To Date, my goal is to amplify voices of people who serve as pioneers in their respective fields while shedding light on issues that affect underserved communities. I produce daily conversations to uplift and inspire the people of the Kansas City area to make the world a better place. You can reach me at reginalddavid@kcur.org.
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