I have written about the Pro Bowl a few times, about how horrible it is, how painful to watch it is, how the players play harder during a walk through in shorts and shirts. So why am I writing about it again? Because its in the news, and no matter Roger Goodell, the NFLPA, owners or the league owned network says, they were NEVER seriously considering canceling the game....it makes to much of what they all love the most...money$$$
Regardless of how bad it is, or how much myself and other fans complain about it, the NFL is still going to play it, and they came out and said it. Why you ask? For the same reason I know how bad the actual game is....because me and most football fans watch it, even if the league literally put flags on the players and skirts on the quarterbacks (just like Goodell wants to do in regular season games) we would still watch it. Don't pretend that you, yea you reading this article, don't watch the Pro Bowl....the ratings say otherwise.
Now that the NFL and evil commissioner/dictator Goodell (and plenty of owners) have openly admitted that they are "disappointed" in the quality of the game, why would they still to choose to put a subpar product on the field and our tv screens for our viewing displeasure? Because we watch it! It's basic economics, the laws of supply and demand. The demand for football games currently outweighs the supply, which means they need more inventory (games) to meet current demand, which is why the NFL Network is now doing a full slate of 16 Thursday night games, along with games all day Sunday, a game Sunday night and another one Monday night. Do you really think that the owners are going to give up ANYTHING that makes them money? Hell no! Especially when the NFL's All-Star game is the highest rate of any sports All-Star game, even when they actually put meaning on the outcome (I'm talking about baseball for any of you living under a rock).
In 2012, 12.5 million viewers tuned into the Pro Bowl, which is 1.5 million people more than baseball's "All-Star" game got, and like I mentioned above, the outcome actually means something in baseball. That is (calculator out) 25 million eyeballs (not including any 1-eyed pirates) that advertisers get to plug their products and/or services to. The owners also get over $4 million from Hawaii to host it, if I was an owner I would probably demand two Pro Bowls!
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So we know that the owners make some serious bank off the Pro Bowl, but why do the players put themselves at risk to play in an un-glorified exhibition game? [Editor's Note: While I don't know the exact #, more and more players make up excuses to not play in the game each year] Well, for starters there is the honor of being named to the All-Star team, plus many of them have bonuses in their contract for being named to the Pro Bowl, but they typically get that money just for being voted in, not tied to showing up. Besides that, they get a free trip for themselves and their spouse to Hawaii, and a $25,000 check for just showing up, and another $27,000 if they win! Hmmmm, get a free trip for me and my wife to Hawaii, PLUS a check for between $25k-52k and play what amounts to a pickup game of football? Count me in!!!
The players get a ton of extra publicity by going to the Pro Bowl, they will be interviewed endlessly both during the week and on the sideline at the game, and cameras will be video taping them during practice. So this is how they can show the fans their "softer" side, instead of the always super serious (for some of them) gameday persona that we see most of the time. They will also forever be known as "Pro Bowl Running Back/Quarterback/Wide Receiver/Defensive Back/Linebacker/etc" for the rest of their lives. That accolade plus all the extra camera time really enhances the players "public image" aka "Q Rating" aka "endorsement potential" aka MONEY, and we know that's all that really matters to 95% of the players.
So how do they improve the game, get even more fans to watch, and at least make it enjoyable for us fans that physically can't not watch it?
The obvious way is to give pay the guys massive amounts of money for playing, like $250,000 for the losers and $520,000 for the winners, also make the bonuses in their contract payable only if they play in the Pro Bowl and not just "named" to the team. But maybe that would cost too much money....
How about they get rid of the game in its current format and turn it into a massive "skills competition"? I would be EXTREMELY interested in that. Seeing all the players run 40-yard dashes against each other, broken down by similar positions and position groups. Have the wide receivers & defensive backs race, O-linemen & D-linemen, running backs and linebackers, quarterbacks and....well Goodell would probably not want the quarterbacks to run as they might get injured and then he will have to fine James Harrison for it.
They could have the quarterbacks doing throwing drills, kickers do "trick shots", punters do the old "coffin corner" and have the big guys do a bench press drill. Who wouldn't enjoy watching someone like Larry Allen bench 700 lbs and watching the bar get permanently bent from the weight on each side alone? Once they are done with a few days of "bracket" style (America loves brackets, heck we could even fill one out for this) skills competition, they could wrap it up with a 7-on-7 tournament, where the quarterbacks pick their teams playground style [Editor's Note: The video doesn't have much to do with this, but if I can even come close to a reason to use it, I will]
No matter what the Pro Bowl has to have some changes, as it currently stands it is an embarrassment and disgrace to the shield that Goodell has promised to protect and uphold. I hope that the league and NFLPA follow through on their promise to improve the product, because after they have publicly admitted its it stinks, the demand might go away....
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