Don’t get me wrong. I’ve grown up in a Philadelphia sports family my entire life. And don’t get the commish wrong. He’s all for the new Pro Bowl format. But something is terribly wrong.
In the minds of even some of the most die-hard NFL fans, the Pro Bowl is an afterthought. The season climaxes at Super Bowl Sunday, enthralling the entire nation. And the sequel to the country’s most important pop culture holiday is…a parade of the league’s all-star players in a Hawaiian paradise? Instead, the commissioner, Roger Goodell, decided to make the sequel a prequel. On January 31, the week before the Super Bowl, the league’s best performers will meet in South Florida. Unfortunately, the players elected to the respective AFC and NFC squads from the Super Bowl-bound teams will instead prepare for the biggest game of their pro careers. Therefore, players like Drew Brees and Peyton Manning have to be replaced. It was announced on Monday that the likes of Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles), Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys), London Fletcher (Washington Redskins), David Garrard (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Shaun Ellis (New York Jets) would replace some of the notable elected participants.
Sure, Donovan had, statistically, his best season since the year of the title that Tom Brady strolled away with (yeah, 2004, for all you non-Philadelphian sports fans), but, obviously, the NFL didn’t feel it was a Pro Bowl worthy season. Until, of course, Drew Brees made the Super Bowl. These alternates may have deserved a shot at Pro Bowl glory, but that shot comes at a price. The players who play for, supposedly, the two best teams in the league, the teams who make it to the NFL’s most prestigious stage, don’t get the opportunity to play with the year’s other all-stars.
This only lessens the already diminishing value of a Pro Bowl with the fans. What’s a Pro Bowl without the participants of the Super Bowl? It’s like going to Phillies game to watch Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Jimmy Rollins play, and instead, you get the B-cast with Ross Gload, Ben Francisco, and John Mayberry. It’s just not the same.
While the Pro Bowl may not exactly be the most appealing event of the year to NFL fans, it’s not exactly in favor with the Super Bowl players, either. The NFL forced the players originally chosen to the Pro Bowl who couldn’t participate because of next Sunday’s championship to go to South Florida for the Pro Bowl festivities and to be recognized. This completely negates the experience of travelling with the team to the Super Bowl together, and instead, the Indianapolis Colts have had to modify their practice schedules to accommodate the changes. Players like Peyton Manning and the Colts front office petitioned the commissioner to be exempt from the commitment, but will not be granted the leave.
So while the NFL tries to increase the viewership of its lowest rated event, it further alienates them and the players, furthering its current lose-lose situation. Something must be done to fix this, and they could start by moving it back to Hawaii and letting the players who deserve to play, well, play.
No comments:
Post a Comment