🎸 Happy Tuesday!

• And happy 72nd birthday to Pittsburgh native Bryan Bassett, who played the iconic guitar riff in "Play That Funky Music," by Wild Cherry.

🌧️ Today's weather: Mostly cloudy, morning showers likely, high near 82.

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Today's newsletter is 992 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Many locals believed the NFL draft would be a bust, but reports released yesterday reveal the April event generated $177 million.

Why it matters: The state, county and city spent over $19 million preparing, running and marketing the three-day event, and some public officials said the costs would not be recouped.

The big picture: A report from analytics firm Trajektory concluded that the draft generated more than $1.5 billion in economic value for the Pittsburgh region due to enormous amounts of free publicity, record social media mentions and millions reached through broadcasting.

• Sporting event analysis firm Sportsimpacts analyzed the draft's more direct economic impact through visitor spending and destination perception and determined that $177 million was doled out across the region.

By the numbers: Over 55 million people watched the draft worldwide, per Trajektory.

• The PR publicity value was $1.41 billion during draft week, and the draft generated more than twice the impressions and followers on major social accounts as previous draft hosts.
• A record 805,000 fans walked through security gates at the draft.

What they’re saying: “Pittsburgh set a new standard for the NFL Draft, delivering a record-breaking event that surpassed expectations for fans, prospects, partners and the broader football community,” said NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly in a statement.

Yes, but: Economic impact as measured by Sportsimpacts was determined through nearly 3,600 surveys and computer models to calculate direct and secondary spending, and doesn’t reflect the exact extra revenue that local taxing bodies will earn.

• Parking revenue is down $5 million compared to this time last year, which City Controller Rachael Heisler attributed to commuters avoiding Downtown during the draft.

Between the lines: PNC chief economist Gus Faucher told Axios in April the biggest question of the draft was whether it changes perceptions about Pittsburgh, and the data says that it did.

• 83% of visitors reported being very satisfied with their trip, per the Sportsimpacts report.
• 78% rated Pittsburgh as an excellent host city for large-scale events.
• 51% said their perception of Pittsburgh improved because of their visit.

The bottom line

Two Pittsburghers are vying to become “America’s Favorite Couple,” a title that nets $20,000 and a distinctly local perk: dinner with West Homestead native Jeff Goldblum.

The big picture: Aidan McClain and Marcos Juliano matched on a dating app in 2024 after McClain moved to Pittsburgh; their first date lasted four hours over drinks and snacks at Margaux in East Liberty.

• McClain, 29, a Chicago native, is an entertainment reporter. Juliano, 27, from Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, works in health care marketing. The pair live together Downtown, love to explore the city and swear by Ephesus Pizza.

What they're saying: "I think (winning $20,000) would give us the opportunity to visit the places we've always talked about over the years, specifically Barcelona, Spain," Juliano said. "A dinner at Barcelona Wine Bar down the street would be equally enjoyable as long as we're together."

How it works: Public voting determines who will advance from the group finals (which end Thursday) to the quarterfinals Aug. 17-27.

• Winners will then advance through the semifinals to the finals from Sept. 4-10. The winning couple will be announced Oct. 9.
• Vote once daily for free, or donate for additional votes.
• The top couple will also get an advertorial in Variety Magazine.

The fine print: Colossal Management runs the fundraising competition on behalf of the nonprofit Action Initiative Team, which will award a portion of the profits as grants to international ocean conservation nonprofit Oceana and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

The bottom line: Vote for the couple here.

Keep reading

🗳️ Former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb said he would consider challenging Sen. John Fetterman again if that was "something people want to see."

• Other potential Democratic challengers to Fetterman include U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio, Summer Lee and Brendan Boyle, per the Post-Gazette.

🍰 Princess cakes, fresh-fruit-filled buttercream cakes created at Seven Springs Mountain Resort in Somerset County, have become a local tradition and can be purchased at several bakeries.

• Order at Seven Springs for $68.90 for a 9-inch cake, Route 66 in Greensburg starting at $25 and Penncraft Market in Fayette County starting at $25. (TribLive)

🍷 The Pittsburgh Winery is closing for good on Saturday. (NextPittsburgh)

Kiazi, our new lion cub, is named after arguably Pittsburgh's favorite vegetable: the potato.

The intrigue: Pittsburgh Zoo's newest feline friend was unveiled to the public Monday after four months nursing in private with her mother, the zoo announced.

• Her name was chosen after 1,141 names were submitted by fans.

Zoom in: Kiazi, born April 5, was named for the Swahili word for “potato,” a nod to her father, Hondo, who came to Pittsburgh from the Idaho Falls Zoo.

• African lions are native to the central African savannah, where Swahili is spoken.

Zoom out: Hondo is a 9-year-old male and Kiazi's mother is a 9-year-old lioness named Scarlett. They are both first-time parents.

What they're saying: “Since she is Hondo’s first offspring and he is from Idaho, keepers loved the name,” said assistant curator of mammals Karen Vacco in a statement. “Hondo’s little Idaho potato!”

💭 Ryan's thought bubble: Yinzers are obsessed with potatoes (french fries on salads, pierogies at every restaurant, etc.), so Kiazi is a perfect name for our little lioness.

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🧄 Chrissy is craving Gaucho Parrilla chimichurri.

🌶️ Ryan enjoyed exploring the new Fresh Market in East Liberty, where he found the datil pepper hot sauce and New Orleans coffee he was looking for.

Thanks to Chloe Gonzales for editing this newsletter.