Nobody really cares who wins, it generates less excitement every year, and the ratings continue to slide every season. No, I’m not talking about American Idol, but rather the NFL Pro Bowl. There is a serious problem with professional football’s all-star game and, based on recent trends, it does not look like it will be improving any time soon. The meaningless game is played with second-tier players who could, quite frankly, care less who wins. This pathetic attempt to simulate real football makes many wonder how the game still exists. While ratings for the game have slipped consistently over recent years, the Pro Bowl is still the most watched all-star game of the major sports, and it continues to survive because, believe it or not, people still watch the thing! However, the question begs – what can the league do to make the Pro Bowl a more meaningful, and enjoyable experience for everyone involved?
Ever heard the expression: “No one likes a showoff?” While true in intramural floor hockey, the expression does not apply to the NFL Pro Bowl. Sure, nobody likes cocky, arrogant athletes, but people want to see the best players showcasing their athletic abilities to display what they do best. Major League Baseball has the Home Run Derby, the NBA has the dunk contest among others, and the NFL has…exactly. Integrating other aspects into the Pro Bowl to develop an all-star weekend similar to those of other major sports would be a huge step in the right direction. Competitions displaying the accuracy of the league’s best quarterbacks or testing the leg strength of the game’s most talented kickers are simply a couple of the potential individual challenges that could help generate more excitement towards the future of the Pro Bowl.
Additionally, the date and location of the game needs a change. While all-star games in other major sports serve as a pleasant break in the middle of their respective seasons, the Pro Bowl lands between the conference championships and the Super Bowl and seems to be more of a burden than an opportunity for those involved. 86 players were originally voted to play in this year’s game, but that number grew to an NFL record 133 due to the amount of players who declined their original invitations. The date of the Pro Bowl means that no players from either team playing in the Super Bowl the following weak will compete, and many from the losing teams in the conference championship games do not want to make the quick turnaround trip to the Pro Bowl the following weekend. Rob Gronkowski, tight end for the New England Patriots was one of many pro bowl selections that chose not to attend the game and states the date of the game as a major factor in a recent NFL Network Interview:
“You can’t go the whole season, AFC Championship Game, giving it all you’ve got and thinking you’re going to hop on a flight to fly 12 hours to Hawaii that next Tuesday, when I still can’t even walk because I took like 20 hits that game. I was not hopping on that plane and just be more tight, more sore when I got off, and just be miserable the whole ride.”
Speaking of Hawaii, while it is a fantastic vacation destination, it is not necessarily the most fitting place to play the pro bowl. I mean sure, the guys from the Vikings would love to escape subzero temperatures at the end of January, but playing the pro bowl in Hawaii simply does not make sense. It creates a division between the game and the majority of its fan support.
In conclusion, the Pro Bowl needs some help. While it still has the support and TV ratings to exist for now, that might not always be the case if the quality of the game does not improve. It would be a shame for a major sport to lose its all-star weekend, and hopefully the league can find the answers to make the Pro Bowl a truly enjoyable experience for football fans in the future.
