As the NFL Draft arrives in Detroit, it’s a great time to acknowledge how sports and government can work together
Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) and Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) joined Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions at their training camp last summer.
The NFL Draft has arrived in Detroit, shining a spotlight on the Motor City as it aims to reintroduce itself on the national stage. More than 300,000 visitors are expected to flock to the city this week, culminating Thursday with the start of Round 1 of the draft, to see which collegiate stars will be selected.
The influx of visitors and attention to the city of Detroit is expected to generate an economic boost of hundreds of millions of dollars — a testament to the power of the NFL and sports overall.
There’s a long history and countless examples of how NFL teams, players and fan bases engage in charities, community causes, policy advocacy and other kinds of work beyond gameday. A close-to-home example is Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. While the former No. 1 overall draft pick led the Lions to new heights in 2023, winning the NFC North Division title, Goff has also been hard at work off the field hosting food pantries, donating winter jackets to Detroit-area children, and sharing profits from his clothing apparel line to youth projects across Detroit. This draft week, Goff presented a $50,000 check to Give Merit, a non-profit with the mission of improving high school graduation rates in the city of Detroit and helping students pursue a college education.
While many of the star athletes and celebrities expected to be in attendance are well-known, even household names, there are some lesser-known facts related to the NFL, its players, and recent Michigan legislation that have positively impacted the state’s youth and communities from Motown to across the state of Michigan.
1. Players Advocating to “Raise the Age” for Justice-Involved Youth in Michigan
In 2019, NFL star and former Detroit Lions wide receiver Anquan Boldin, alongside twin brothers and star NFL defensive backs Devin and Jason McCourty, helped advocate for an important policy change to benefit Michigan youth. As professional athletes, the trio has traveled to many big cities in many states, but the state of Michigan stood out for a unique, negative reason.
Michigan was the only state among any stops in their professional careers — one of only four states in the country at the time — to still treat all 17-year-old kids as adults in the criminal justice system, regardless of their offense. As part of the Players Coalition that Boldin helped found, he and the McCourty brothers helped use their profiles and their platform to support the passage of a package of bipartisan bills to “raise the age” of juvenile jurisdiction in the state. Thanks in part to their advocacy, the bill package was ultimately passed in 2019 and went into effect in 2021.
“We want to make sure our kids are not hindered because they’ve made poor decisions in their youth. This is the right thing to do,” said Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) at the time.
Sen. Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) and fellow policymakers applaud Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s signature of the “Raise the Age” legislation.
2. Detroit is a Football Factory!
The city of Detroit has long been known as “Hockeytown,” but it may now be a strong contender for a new claim to sports fame — Football City, USA. As of Week 1 of the 2023 NFL Season, the city of Detroit had more homegrown players on NFL rosters than any other American city — 19 players in total. High schools such as Cass Tech, Martin Luther King, Jr., Crockett Tech, East English Village, Southeastern and others all claim alumni playing in the league — from NFL veterans like Brandon Graham (13th overall pick in the 2010 draft) to newcomers like Sauce Gardner (4th overall pick in the 2022 draft).
While students at the Detroit Community Public School District, the state’s largest school district, face unique challenges, it has been a priority of Senate Democrats to mitigate inequality in education and increase funding for Pre-K-12 schools. The state’s 2024 School Aid Budget included a 5% increase in the state’s per-pupil foundation allowance for a total of $9,608 per pupil — the highest in the state’s school funding history — and additional increases for students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, and English learners. The 2025 Pre-K-12 School Budget looks to build on that funding allowance as it works through the appropriations process. Working to ensure Michigan students have better support and more opportunities to pursue their dreams in the classroom, on the sports field, and other extracurricular activities is of paramount importance to Michigan Senate Democrats.
3. NIL for High School Sports Stars
Remaining on the topic of Michigan high school sports stars, the rising profiles of high school athletes has created new, monetary opportunities due in large part to both on-field success and massive followings on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. In 2021, the NCAA moved to permit its collegiate student athletes to capitalize on their budding stardom through name, image and likeness deals, or NIL.
Some Michigan legislators have accordingly worked on legislation that would allow high school athletes to do the same. House Bill 4816 introduced by Rep. Jimmie Wilson Jr. (D-Ypsilanti) would prohibit high schools and certain athletic organizations from preventing high school athletes in Michigan from receiving compensation from the use of their name, image, or likeness rights and establish standards for the exercise of high school NIL rights. Last month, the Senate Oversight Committee held a hearing to discuss the legislation.
4. Football is about the Fundamentals… And Reading is Fundamental!
Among the many community-focused events the Detroit Lions and other NFL teams support and lead, the annual Tackle Reading program is a favorite of school-age kids. For eight years now, Detroit Lions players of past and present and cheerleaders have gone to area schools to read to elementary school students.
With March being Reading Month, Michigan Senators from the Democratic Caucus went to schools in their districts to read to students and talk about why reading is important. From Princeton Elementary and Huron Academy in Macomb County to Godfrey Elementary in Grand Rapids and Handley Elementary in Saginaw, Senators visited classrooms within their districts and shared some of their favorite books with the young readers.
In March, acknowledging the critical importance of reading and the hurdles faced by some students, the Senate passed Senate Bills 567 and 568. Sponsored by Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) and Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), this comprehensive legislation aims to address the challenges associated with dyslexia by identifying affected children early and providing evidence-based interventions to support their literacy development.
5. Knowing What to Do in Case of an Athletic Cardiac Emergency
A shock was sent through the NFL and sports world in January 2023 when Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field after sustaining a hard hit against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin survived largely due to fast-acting medical personnel who performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) before sending Hamlin to a local hospital.
This spring, Michigan legislators including Michigan Senate Democrats approved House Bills 5527 and 5528, which will require schools to have a plan in place to respond to an emergency cardiac event, including having accessible AEDs on hand at school events and practices and also require any person employed as a coach to maintain valid CPR certification beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. This legislation now heads to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for approval.
For years, the city of Detroit and Lions fans across the state had not received credit for being a great football town and great football fanbase. But now, with the 2024 NFL Draft set to kick off today, the city of Detroit’s economic resurgence, the Detroit Lions’ on-field resurgence, and football-loving Michiganders will be on full display in the spotlight.
We, the Michigan Senate Democratic Caucus, thank the NFL for choosing to host this year’s draft in Detroit, and for the continued charity and advocacy work of its players. We would like to congratulate the residents of Detroit and those who have worked tirelessly to create a great environment to host the draft, the players whose lives will change when their name is called, and to the fans headed Downtown to watch.
Be safe and enjoy the draft!