For years
now the NFL Pro Bowl has been awful.
I, like many fans, do not watch the game because it is not reflective of the football that we all love.
In an attempt to fix the game, the powers that be have changed the
format in an effort to gain more viewership. This year, they enlisted the help of Jerry Rice and Deion
Sanders to be the general managers of the two squads and had them draft
players. Players loved the new format, allowing them to play with
cross-conference colleagues, but the novelty will soon wear thin. There are many problems with the Pro
Bowl that need to be addressed, most notably that players do not want to risk a
career threatening injury in a meaningless game. So how do we fix the NFL’s All-Star game? Here are a few thoughts:
Change the Date:
The current
version of the game is played the week before the Super Bowl and it had
previously been played the week after the big game. The problem with this timing is that it excludes players who
play in the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. It also does not allow time for injured
players to rest so that they can participate. Solution: play the game at the end of
February. The league has pushed
offseason dates later and should do so for this event. Pushing
back the date of the Pro Bowl would allow for players to rest and heal after
the season and allow for greater participation.
Change the Voting:
Pro Bowl
voting is just a popularity contest and all of the biggest names receive votes
because of who they are, not how they’ve played the past season. Change the voting system to give equal
weight to fans, players, coaches, and team executives. This could help some lesser-known names
be recognized for having a successful season.
Do Not Change the Location:
Stop
rotating the site of the Pro Bowl.
It is not the Super Bowl and should not be treated as such. Pick Hawaii as the location for
festivities and keep it that way.
Yeah, players and coaches in the NFL can afford to go on their own, but
it’s a nice reward for the players and showcases the game in an area where fans
cannot attend other games. Plus,
what better place is there to be in late February than Hawaii?
Change the Game:
All of the
other major sports leagues hold complimentary events to help showcase their
All-Star games. The slam-dunk
contest, the home run derby, and the NHL skills competition are all successful
and highly viewed. On Pro Bowl
Saturday, hold a skills competition to show who is the fastest, who can kick
the farthest/most accurately, who has the best hands, who can throw the
farthest/most accurately, and anything else you can think of. You could even involve the Sports
Science guys at ESPN to talk about how these guys are able to do these
things. As far as the actual game,
it’s an exhibition game and should be treated as such. No one wants to get hurt and therefore don’t
give the 100% effort they would in any other game. Solution: change the actual game to a flag football
game. You could still have
offensive and defensive lines, you still have to block, and this would allow
the players to show off their skills, agility, and speed. As an added bonus, you greatly reduce
the risk of injury and still produce an entertaining game.
These
proposed solutions are by no means perfect but I feel they are a step in the
right direction for the league to showcase their best players in a fun
environment. Please share your thoughts below.
