By JOSHUA NATOLI
Staff Writer
There comes a time in the NFL when the week-long gap between the conference championships and Super Bowl is filled by the Pro Bowl, the NFL’s equivalent of an all-star game. The Pro Bowl takes the very best players from both conferences and throws them into Aloha Stadium in Honolulu in an AFC-NFC matchup.
The Pro Bowl has never really been taken seriously, and this year has been a proof of that. After the AFC beat down the NFC 59-41, NFC quarterback Aaron Rodgers called out his all-star teammates saying, “I was just surprised that some of the guys either didn’t want to play or when they were in there didn’t put any effort into it.” This opened the floodgates of discussion to ideas to better the Pro Bowl, even remove it.
The players of the Pro Bowl actually receive money for the game. The members of the winning team receive $50,000, while the losers get half of that at $25,000, so there is a little incentive for these guys. Besides the money, there really is nothing to gain from this game.
It is not like the MLB All-Star Game where the winner decides which league will have home-field advantage in the World Series, or the NBA All-Star Game that has its own weekend dedicated to it, a weekend that also includes the 3pt Shootout, and the Slam Dunk Contest, that all-star game winner also clinches home-field advantage for their conference come Finals time.
This leads to the suggestion that the winner of the Pro-Bowl should determine what conference obtains home-field advantage in the Super Bowl. This suggestion is a double-edged sword however. If that were to happen, the Pro-Bowl would have to be moved to mid-season, between Week 8 and Week 9. Although it would determine home-field advantage, it would also eliminate the neutrality between the two teams playing in the Super Bowl.
The NFL’s playoff scheme does not work like the MLB’s or NBA’s, there are no series, it is a win or go home situation, therefore the whole purpose of choosing a neutral location would be thrown out the window.
Having the Pro Bowl mid-season will also allow all the deserving players to play in the game, and display full effort. Players that are in both the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl often do not even bother playing in the Pro Bowl, and if they do it is half-heartedly as to prevent injury.
The positives really out-weigh the negatives in moving the Pro Bowl to mid-season and actually making the game count for something. The NFL remains as the United States’ only major sport without any significant all-star game.
Not only is a date change needed but also maybe a few event additions. The Pro Bowl remains a game for die-hards and stat trackers. Throw in a few skill events to make it more of an all-around fan experience like a longest field goal challenge, long throw contest, or best catch game.
An all-time greats game could even be something, get some of those guys like Troy Aikman out of the booth and on the field. At least it would finally give Terrell Owens something to do.
