The Beat: Pro Bowl
Josiah Edwards
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Sports
Since 1980, the NFL has held the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. From the first all-star event in 1938, it has been held after the actual football season ends. This year, however, the NFL made changes, big changes. For the first time ever the Pro Bowl was held the week before the Super Bowl. The game was also moved to the site of this year's championship match-up: Miami, Florida. Speculation indicates that the NFL is attempting this change in an effort to boost support and interest in a game that historically has generated less than stellar ratings. Perhaps the timing of the game has been the issue, although it could be a lack of desire to play by the players. Whatever the case, there is a very low chance the 2010 Pro Bowl drew much more interest than the games played in previous years.
Fourteen of this year's Pro Bowlers are competing in the Super Bowl. Obviously, fans at Sun Life Stadium in Miami and the few fans that tuned into the all-star exhibition did not see Peyton Manning or Drew Brees throwing passes and calling audibles. Both Brees and Manning were a little busy preparing for the biggest game of their careers.
The NFL, in effect, has even further diminished the meaning of its Pro Bowl. Fans are seeing players that would not be in the all-star game had the league not moved the site and time of the Pro Bowl. Not that these players are not great. They're just NOT Pro Bowlers. Being an All-Star in baseball is an honor. Millions watch as the National and American Leagues battle in the Summer Classic. Not only does MLB sell out their All-Star game, but the Home Run Derby. The NBA gathers arguably the best athletes on earth onto one court and draw enormous crowds. The NBA All-Star weekend includes a number of events including celebrity games and of course the Dunk Contest.
So what is the NFL doing wrong? Perhaps it has something to do with the players not wanting to play. Every year players use injuries as an excuse to sit out of the Pro Bowl. Why would they want to risk injury in a game that absolutely doesn't matter? The players that people want to see rarely ever play. Brett Favre has been elected to the Pro Bowl by fans, coaches, and peers a grand total of 11 times. The last time Favre took a snap in the exhibition game was in 1996. Since then he has opted out six times. Players don't want to participate because they know that there is nothing positive that can come out of it. They still tackle, they still get hit. They still put their bodies, careers, and livelihoods on the line for something that means less than a preseason game.
Whether the changes made by the NFL prove to enhance the experience of the Pro Bowl or not, it seems evident that few people truly care. The timeliness has little to no impact on that.
Fourteen of this year's Pro Bowlers are competing in the Super Bowl. Obviously, fans at Sun Life Stadium in Miami and the few fans that tuned into the all-star exhibition did not see Peyton Manning or Drew Brees throwing passes and calling audibles. Both Brees and Manning were a little busy preparing for the biggest game of their careers.
The NFL, in effect, has even further diminished the meaning of its Pro Bowl. Fans are seeing players that would not be in the all-star game had the league not moved the site and time of the Pro Bowl. Not that these players are not great. They're just NOT Pro Bowlers. Being an All-Star in baseball is an honor. Millions watch as the National and American Leagues battle in the Summer Classic. Not only does MLB sell out their All-Star game, but the Home Run Derby. The NBA gathers arguably the best athletes on earth onto one court and draw enormous crowds. The NBA All-Star weekend includes a number of events including celebrity games and of course the Dunk Contest.
So what is the NFL doing wrong? Perhaps it has something to do with the players not wanting to play. Every year players use injuries as an excuse to sit out of the Pro Bowl. Why would they want to risk injury in a game that absolutely doesn't matter? The players that people want to see rarely ever play. Brett Favre has been elected to the Pro Bowl by fans, coaches, and peers a grand total of 11 times. The last time Favre took a snap in the exhibition game was in 1996. Since then he has opted out six times. Players don't want to participate because they know that there is nothing positive that can come out of it. They still tackle, they still get hit. They still put their bodies, careers, and livelihoods on the line for something that means less than a preseason game.
Whether the changes made by the NFL prove to enhance the experience of the Pro Bowl or not, it seems evident that few people truly care. The timeliness has little to no impact on that.
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