The NFL Draft took over downtown Detroit over the weekend, setting a new attendance record for the event. Given that smashing success, it's time

The NFL descended on downtown Detroit this weekend for its annual draft.  Super Bowl XL in February 2006 felt a veritable lifetime ago, and, in preparation for the NFL's arrival, the city of Detroit wanted to make clear its fitness for hosting marquee sporting event.

Construction overtook the city in the weeks leading up to the weekend.  The southernmost stretch of Woodward Avenue was closed to cars and opened up for pedestrians and food trucks.  A stage was built in Cadillac Square, overlooking Campus Martius.  Vacant storefronts found new tenants, and a Chipotle even popped up.  New signs showed visiting pedestrians the way around.

And the pay off for all that effort on the city's behalf?  Record-setting crowds.

The 2024 NFL Draft brought 775,000-plus fans over three days to the streets of Detroit, cruising past the previous record crowd (set at the 2019 event in Nashville).  The event was tremendously attending, logistically tidy, and overwhelmingly fun.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer proclaimed, "We have shown the world what the Motor City is about."  And in that sentiment, Whitmer hints at an idea surely on the minds of Detroit sports fans: That more events like the draft should be on deck for a city that just showed itself to be an excellent host.

In an interview with ABC-7 Detroit over the weekend, Claude Molinari (president of Visit Detroit) suggested that those aspirations will be realized, saying: "NBA All-Star Game, NHL All-Star Game, you can count on 'em.  They're comin'.  We have some of their pre-team scouts coming in to look at the city, and we're hosting one of the leagues right now, because they're interested in bringing one of their all-star games here."

The NBA All-Star Game has visited Detroit twice in the past—1959 at the Olympia and 1979 at the Pontiac Silverdome (it never came to the Palace of Auburn Hills during the Pistons stay there).  The NHL All-Star Game has come to Detroit five times, but the most recent of those was 1980 at Joe Louis Arena.  The Olympia hosted the event in 1950, 1952, 1954, and 1955.  (For what it's worth, there have been four MLB All-Star Games in the city across three stadiums: 1941 and 1951 at Briggs Stadium, 1971 at Tiger Stadium, and 2005 at Comerica Park).

The idea of an NHL All-Star Game at Little Caesars Arena has been discussed since the building opened in September 2017.  At the time, commissioner Gary Bettman said, "I'd like to see the District [capital 'D,' referring to the development project around the arena for which the Ilitch family received significant tax breaks and public funding, but for the time being is mostly parking lots] finished so that when we bring guests in from all over the world, they can see what the entire vision was and how it's played out."

In February of this year, on the heels of a successful all-star game in Toronto, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that bringing the event to Detroit is "very much on the radar" for the NHL, but there remained lingering concern over whether it made sense to wait for more of the District to be completed before hosting.

To residents of Detroit, the idea of the Ilitch family's "District" is something of a dark joke—a reminder of the price paid for the city's shimmering new multi-purpose arena that is forced to the forefront whenever you walk around the building and see the parking or vacant lots meant to become the family's Camelot.

Yes, the Ilitch family did deliver the arena the city and its residents wanted—one that is universally acclaimed as first class.  And no, it's not as though LCA is an oasis from a desolate wasteland; there has been development around the arena to provide fans with places to eat and drink before a game.  However, for many Detroiters, it is difficult to hear the words "the District Detroit" without thinking of the promises that weren't delivered on.

With that frustration out of the way, the good news is that this weekend proved, regardless of the so-called District's status, Detroit is well suited for hosting major sporting events.

Of course, the Ilitch family must be held to account for the promises it made to a city that provided tremendous economic incentive for fulfilling those promises.  However, from the NHL's perspective, the current equation ought to be quite simple: Detroit has a first-class hockey arena and proved over the weekend it throws a first-class party.  Put those two things together, and you have a recipe for a first-class all-star game.

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