2020 NFL Virtual Draft
Last Thursday night, 55 Million people turned on their televisions, laptops, ipads, and phones to tune-in to the first ever live virtual NFL Draft. For many, the highly anticipated event represented hope and a return to normalcy for NFL and sports fans alike. Providing a sense of community, the NFL Draft unified the sports world and showcased the leagues’ strength, innovation, and commitment to service.
As the Sports Marketing Agency for Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), Team Services played a vital role in navigating the 2020 NFL Draft and amplifying DMI’s activations throughout the virtual event. From strategic planning to idea execution, Team Services provided thought-leadership and analysis every step of the way. Through its contract with the National Football League, DMI leveraged unique assets and utilized the NFL Draft to support the work of America’s Dairy Farmers, provide COVID-19 relief efforts, and promote its in-school health & wellness program, Fuel Up to Play 60.
As part of the event, the NFL created a three-day virtual fundraiser entitled, “Draft-A-Thon” that benefited six charities that are currently battling the spread of COVID-19 and delivering relief to millions. Over three days, NFL players, celebrities, and influencers joined the livestream event to speak about COVID19 and to offer a message of support to fans. Through DMI’s partnership with the NFL, GENYOUth was provided the opportunity to have NFL players join the Draft-A-Thon livestream to promote GENYOUth’s COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Fund. DMI and GENYOUth leaned on Team Services’ knowledge of current and former NFL players to engage, secure, and properly prepare each player for their livestream interviews. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals quarterback and 1st Overall pick in the 2019 draft, and Cris Carter, Hall of Famer and legendary NFL wide receiver, were chosen and separately appeared on the Draft-A-Thon livestream. Both Kyler Murray and Cris Carter recently made personal donations to GENYOUth’s Fund.
Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) joins NFL’s Draft-A-Thon to talk about his $25,000 donation to GENYOUth
The six charities receiving the majority of donations through the Draft-A-Thon included the American Red Cross, the CDC Foundation, Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army, United Way, and Feeding America. In addition to these nationwide organizations, Team Services helped to secure a place for DMI and GENYOUth in the “Partner Relief Efforts” section of the website. Information about GENYOUth COVID-19 Emergency School Nutrition Fund was included in this section as well as a link to the donation page on GENYOUth’s website.
Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Cris Cater talks about GENYOUth’s COVID-19 relief efforts
Another unique opportunity that DMI leveragedthrough its contract with the NFL came on day 3 of the Draft. Samarth Mannikeri, a Fuel Up to Play 60 student from Pennsylvania, was featured during the telecast as a lead-in to a Philadelphia Eagles’ round 4 Draft Pick. Samarth was chosen because he created and currently leads a Google Classroom for his entire school district. Team Services provided input as DMI selected Samarth out of a number of candidates. Team Services remained a liaison between Samarth, the NFL, and DMI, efficiently streamlining communications whenever necessary. During Samarth’s video recording with NFL producers, Team Services was present on behalf of DMI to ensure successful content was created and captured. After Samarth’s lead-in video aired on ESPN and NFL Network broadcasts, Team Services worked with DMI to provide the necessary information to promote Samarth’s achievements and the tremendous opportunity that the DMI/NFL partnership had created.
Samarth Mannikeri gets ready to announce the Philadelphia Eagles 4th round draft pick
The 2020 NFL Draft represented hope that a return to normalcy for sport fans may soon be a reality. Team Services is extremely proud to represent our client, Dairy Management, Inc, and support the development and execution of their 2020 NFL Draft strategy.