Those who follow football will know that the culture around the sport can be larger than life — from drafts to the Super Bowl, fans will go wild over every move star players make.
That's why the latest announcement from NFL star Rob Gronkowski is sure to send many an NFL heart aflutter.
The free agent tight end and four-time Super Bowl champion just announced that he will host a major Las Vegas party on the weekend of the pro football draft.
What Is Gronk Doing This Time?
"This shall be a great day in the sun☀️ at @EncoreBeachClub with a live performance from my boys @thechainsmokers, unmatched Gronk bro energy⚡️ and a celebration of all the new rookies entering the league," Gronkowski wrote in an Instagram post that gathered over 16,000 likes.
The description sounds a lot like a football-themed rave.
Held at Sin City's Encore Beach Club on April 29, the event that Gronkowski dubbed Gronk Beach Las Vegas will feature food, music and a lot of partying.
The Chainsmokers will headline the event while musicians like Kim Lee, DJ Five and Deux Twins alongside "custom Gronk decor."
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, around 5,000 people are expected to show up ready to party.
As the even takes place at the same time as the annual NFL Draft Party, it is not clear what pushed to host the event. Currently a free agent, he had retired briefly in 2019 before coming back for two more seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If You Haven't Noticed, Gronk Is A Big Partier
Gronkowski has not yet announced whether he will commit to another season, and amidst Tom Brady's recent return from retirement, a lot of fans are tracking his every move.
Gronk, meanwhile, is a big fan of these types of rave-style parties.
Taking place just before the pandemic came to the U.S., the Gronk Beach Party Miami had over 3,000 people jamming on the beach in what was supposed to be Gronk's send-off.
Some VIP passes went for over $20,000 while Gronk returned to the NFL shortly after in April 2020.
This year, the 2022 NFL draft is poised to become one of Vegas' biggest weekends of the year as the league selects newly eligible players from April 28 to 30.
"We are going to show Vegas how to party," Gronkowski said in a Zoom presentation on Monday. "I'll show Vegas what's up ... It's going to be insane."
What's Going On With The NFL These Days?
As the league prepares for a new draft season, it has both kept a tight wrap on the image it projects and loosened its rules somewhat.
After lifting the ban on liquor advertisements in 2017 and allowing alcohol brands to use players' likenesses in its advertisements in 2019, the NFL recently allowed crypto exchanges to buy Super Bowl advertisements and negotiate advertising deals with individual teams.
"What should be super clear is we are not promoting cryptocurrency, that’s not part of our policy here," Joe Ruggiero, NFL senior vice president of consumer products, said last month.
"What we’re exciting about is the broader applications of blockchain technology," he said.
Sin City, meanwhile, is fast becoming a major destination for various sporting events and gatherings.
The 2024 Super Bowl will take place at Allegiant Stadium while two National Basketball Association-ready arenas currently being built on the Las Vegas Strip.
