You won't believe what they're sayin' 'bout the Draft
So listen—yinz know the NFL Draft just rolled through Pittsburgh, right? The city was packed, bridges shut down to cars for pedestrians, like the Clemente Bridge was just swarmin' with people. And everyone's talkin' about how much money it brought in, all the visitors, n'at. But there's this wild story floatin' around, and it's comin' from a corner of the city you don't always hear from directly: sex workers. They're sayin' the Draft was a "touchdown" for them, too, and it's makin' some folks nebby, you know?
Here's the Skinny
The *Pittsburgh City Paper* ran a piece where they actually talked to sex workers about the impact of big events like the NFL Draft on their business. And it sounds like whenever the city gets slammed with visitors like that—especially for something like the Draft, with a lotta guys in town—the demand for their services goes way up. It's not somethin' you hear about on the news much, but it's part of the economic ripple effect, like it or not.
* **The Crowd Factor:** With 805,000 visitors, the city's population swelled big time. More people, more demand for all kinds of services, apparently. * **Economic Impact:** While other businesses reported mixed results, it seems like some parts of the underground economy saw a clear boom. * **Unheard Voices:** This is a group that rarely gets a say in how these big events affect the city. It's a peek behind the curtain, n'at.
It makes you think, whenever we talk about how much money these events bring to Pittsburgh, about *all* the different ways that money moves through the city. From the fancy hotels dahntahn to the bars in the South Side, and yeah, even to places we don't usually talk about out loud. That's the Burgh, yinz — steel town heart, no matter what.
My buddy Nick breaks down all the local buzz every morning — catch him live at mornings.live.