Quick question: who knew that Thursday night at 9 pm (last night) was the NFL Pro Bowl challenge competition?
That pretty much sums up the entire Prop Bowl scenario for the NFL in recent years, with this season looking worse than ever.
It’s a conundrum the league continues to face, with no real answer on how to fix it. And what makes it even worse? Of the Big-4 professional sports (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) the NFL Pro Bowl is by far the worst All-Star game of any.
The MLB has its Home Run Derby, which still towers above all other All-Star weekend events of the Big-4. The NBA has the dunk contest which, despite lacking big stars for years (for whatever reason), still remains a spectacle fans are drawn to. Even the NHL has a shootout challenge that’s likened to the dunk contest in its creativity & general goofiness, while their All Star game formatting has changed to a 3-on-3 style OT format, resulting in more goals, and more excitement.
Say what you want about the NHL versus the NFL, but when it comes to the All Star events? One has a packed house, while the other showcases empty seats and “I’ll check it out when this movie is over.”
But the NFL… they remain steadfast, or more accurately, stagnant.
They’ve tried switching from AFC vs NFC to a Pro Bowl draft, which fell flat and they quickly reverted. Then they tried moving the Pro Bowl events from Hawaii to Orlando because [insert your own failed logic here]. I mean, other than saving on airfare? It’s been a meaningless change. There’s no increase in fan turnout for a Pro Bowl weekend in the contiguous US versus Hawaii, nor does it increase viewership.
How desperate has the NFL gotten?
THERE’S A DODGE BALL SEGMENT NOW.
For the win!! In a one-on-one final round, @God_Son80, comes up big and the AFC takes home the Dodgeball Championship AND the #ProBowl Skills Challenge win!#FinsUp https://t.co/Fmwl0oSs7r
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 26, 2018
So what’s the answer to fixing the Pro Bowl? Have the guys play Madden instead? Everybody switch positions? Make the coaches play and the players coach?
I hate to say this but I think the answer is blatantly obvious, starring us in the face, and nobody wants to admit it.
Cut your loses, and be done with the Pro Bowl, altogether.
The harsh truth is that the event serves no purpose, fans don’t care (both your team’s season and your fantasy season are over) and the players don’t really want to go. Hell, a fair chunk of the Pro Bowl rosters end up being backups of backups, thanks to players in the Super Bowl, others resting injuries, and other players that just want to hang at home.
A weekend trip to Orlando isn’t exactly luring players to come out to the events…
At the end of the day, what would it really change if the NFL opted to squash the Pro Bowl? How you can you watch less of something that you’re already not watching? How much would players really care if they didn’t get to go hang out in Orlando in January for a week? When will the NFL realize that if a tree falls in the woods & nobody is around to hear it, it doesn’t make a sound?
It’s time to focus those wasted efforts and funds on improving the regular season product, and finally kill the Pro Bowl.
