And so, the National Football League’s pickpocketing of Pittsburgh’s public purse has begun for the 2026 NFL Draft:
Legislation has been introduced in Pittsburgh City Council “for the city to partner with VisitPittsburgh to help coordinate services for the draft,” the Post-Gazette reports.
But there’s a noticeable stench attached to the effort from the get-go.
The deal calls for not more than $1 million to be spent over a three-year period, plus various in-kind services.
“Though details are still sparse, VisitPittsburgh will lead efforts ‘in planning, coordinating and executing all arrangements that are necessary for the 2026 NFL Draft,’ city documents said,” the P-G notes.
The Tribune-Review reports that some council members are balking at the proposed expense. As they should be, given other reports that the city is on the precipice of a budget crisis.
Further from the P-G story:
“A spokesperson from VisitPittsburgh said that the funding allocation is ‘an exciting next step in our transition from bid to build.’”
A bid, we must note, that remains a secret, never having been released to the public. That’s unacceptable.
Again, from the P-G, quoting VisitPittsburgh spokeswoman Emily Hatfield:
“Should public monies be approved, funds will likely be allocated towards marketing to increase exposure and drive attendance, Pittsburgh’s supplier diversity program to support local diverse-owned business, community greening efforts and temporary infrastructure upgrades.”
Hold the phone!
As the P-G also notes – and as the public relations push to bring the draft to Pittsburgh has repeatedly shilled – “hundreds of thousands of football fans” are expected to converge on the city over three days for the draft.
So, why do taxpayers have to be tapped to help pay for “marketing to increase exposure and drive attendance”? That’s daft.
Additionally, Hatfield says “all funding will be allocated with the end result in mind — a strong return on local investment.”
And while we’ve been bombarded incessantly with grand stories of great economic benefits from hosting the draft – largely citing unverified claims from past host cities and extrapolating those numbers to fill in the blanks for Pittsburgh – we’ve seen no scholarly economic impact studies to back the lofty numbers.
In fact, one document –the city’s fiscal impact statement, “something that is required by the city code to accompany legislation,” reminds Eric Montarti, the Allegheny Institute’s research director – does a song and dance around the economic impact issue:
“Significant economic benefits are expected, which will impact City revenue indirectly.
“Direct impacts include, but are not limited to, increases in: Earned Income [taxes], Payroll Preparation [taxes[, and RAD [Regional Asset District taxes].”
And that’s it. There’s no supporting documentation to detail how much or how that how much was determined. Zip. Nada. Zilch.
As the P-G additionally notes, “A separate agreement between [Allegheny County] and VisitPittsburgh is to be worked out at a later date.”
And likely to be as bereft of supporting numbers as the city agreement.
Published reports say the Allegheny County contribution could be $3 million.
Olga George, a spokesperson for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, told the Trib that financial support from the city was a requirement when the city submitted a bid to host the draft.
“This agreement is necessary to make good on that commitment now that we’ve been selected,” George said in a statement.
Well, it’s past time for local officials to release the details of the city-county bid to host the NFL Draft. And it’s also past time for the Pittsburgh Steelers, to be a direct beneficiary of taxpayers helping to underwrite the NFL’s player development program, to publicly say what it’s contributing.
But as Frank Gamrat, executive director of the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, surmises: “The details will slowly unfold and we’ll ultimately find out the team has no skin in the game.”
Or as Jake Haulk, the institute’s president-emeritus, puts it: “Sensible people can see this for what it is.”
And isn’t.
So, hold onto to your wallets, ladies and gentlemen. The fleecing has just begun.
Simply put, the NFL and the Steelers should be covering the costs of anything and everything that bringing this draft carnival to Pittsburgh creates. If it creates a burden on the public kitty, the Steelers and the NFL should pay for it. Period.
Colin McNickle is communications and marketing director at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy (cmcnickle@alleghenyinstitute.org)
