Bodog Beat

The annual NFL Player Selection Meeting (aka the NFL Draft) has become quite the media event. (AP Images)

Football has the sharpest betting audience of the major sports, and NFL teams rely so much on first-year talent that even casual fans are drawn toward the spectacle.

The draft’s humble beginnings trace back to 1936, when the Philadelphia Eagles selected halfback Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago. He chose not to play professional ball and became a sportswriter instead. New York City became the draft’s annual host in 1965; Madison Square Garden was the venue for a number of years until the powers that be moved to Radio City Music Hall in 2006.

We can credit ESPN for being the first broadcaster to truly put the national spotlight on the draft. They hopped on board in 1980 and will be there once again this weekend, starting Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern.