The Pro Bowl Sucks

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.