No more Pro Bowl?

Didn't see this mentioned on any of the football threads, but Roger Goodell yesterday floated the possibility that the Pro Bowl will be eliminated if they can't find a way to increase the quality of the game:

http://eye-on-football.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/22475988/34705393

Good riddance, I say. I just hope the NFL doesn't try any Selig-esque gimmickry in order to save it.

 

Replace it with some sort of skills competition. Maybe a Battle of the Network Stars type thing.

 

This is a double-edged sword for the NFLPA.

Nobody wants to play in the game, but they all want the bonuses that come with playing in the game or being selected to play in the game. And with all of the people who skip the game, the number of players that wind up being considered "Pro Bowlers" is very, very high...

 

replace it with a test pattern

 

Then if the players want those bonuses, they're going to have to pretend to play football a lot harder.

 

They need to go back and pull an idea from the 60s and have a college all star team play the NFL all pros. At least there, the pros might give a full effort to avoid getting publicly embarrassed.

Or have the college all star team play the team with the worst record for the year. Sort of a relegation move, make that sad sack team have to play and try to avoid further humiliation by getting beaten by a bunch of college guys/future NFLers.

Never will happen I'm sure, but better than today's walk through exhibition

 

Eliminate the Pro Bowl? How would you be able to tell?

 

How about a spelling contest?

 

Oh, yeah. The NFLPA would be really on board with that idea.

 

If you are nominated to the Pro Bowl, instead of playing half-assed in some game no one cares about, you get to be one of the dancers in the halftime show for the Super Bowl.

You get a check, you get your recognition, and millions of people will actually watch you perform.

 

The Pro Bowl isn't going anywhere. It makes way too much money for the league. The ratings are as good as the MLB all-star game, and it is another game the league can dangle to the networks. Goodell is ticked at the effort at this game, but this is just a way to let the players know that and build up the PR machine too. With the sponsorship money tied to Pro Bowl ballots and the like, and the bonuses for the players, the Pro Bowl is here to stay. I don't think any skills competition will come close to it, for a myriad of reasons.

 

I watched a few minutes of this year's game and was literally laughing at the absurdly blatant lack of effort. Sorta reminded of those goofing around touch football games at the backyard barbeque.

I suspect these comments may've been sparked by a TV Network bigwig bitching at Goodell about it.