Thousands of fans gathered at the Detroit NFL Draft site Thursday for this year’s draft.
The annual tradition sees America’s top college football players begin their journey to the pros by finding out which team they will play for.
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There are many draft traditions that have developed over the years – and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell getting booed is one of them.
It has become customary for the NFL’s big boss to be greeted with a chorus of boos during the offseason’s marquee event.
But why?
Well, Goodell is the face of the league and is responsible for every major decision that takes place in the league.
These decisions can often be unpopular and lead some fans to believe he is biased towards certain teams.
Fans don’t usually boo Goodell for a specific reason.
Rather, it is a combination of grievances over a range of factors that may include rising streaming costs, rule changes that harm the quality of play, and league disciplinary action against certain players.
Booing is basically a way for fans to vent their frustrations.
Given that there aren’t many opportunities to do so in person at Goodell during the rest of the season, the draft represents the perfect place for fans to voice their disapproval.
So, every year, the commissioner enters the project stage and is met with a wave of boos.
It’s become a recurring theme, and there’s no doubt that fans are getting on board with the trend because it’s the thing to do.
But, to be fair to Goodell, he’s embraced it in recent years.
He actually allowed fans to boo him during the virtual draft that was held remotely due to COVID-19.
Before this year’s draft, the NFL on X account shared a video of Goodell with Detroit native Eminem joking about fans booing him.
“You know you’re going to get booed again, right?” » said Slim Shady.
“I’m not afraid,” Goodell joked, referencing one of Eminem’s tracks.
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