The Pro Bowl

Two weeks ago, as I sat there watching the Jets and Dolphins on Monday Night Football, Mike Tirico began to state that the 2010 Pro Bowl was going to be held right there at Land Shark Stadium(or whatever they call that stadium now) in Miami. It didn't click as to what he said until coming back from break Tirico read a promo for the Pro Bowl. The promo repeated the fact that the Pro Bowl will be played a week before the Super Bowl on January 31st at Land Shark Stadium in Miami. I was stunned and at a loss for words. What happened to Hawaii? Where was I when this happened? Am I the only one or does that sound a little dumb? Play the Pro Bowl at the same stadium as the Super Bowl, just a week before. What?! The people in Hawaii have done nothing wrong and yet they lose the chance to see the NFL’s All-Stars. Yes I understand that this is not a regular season game, but they look forward every year to seeing those NFL stars every year. This is their Super Bowl.

There are many problems to the Pro Bowl, but playing the game a week before the Super Bowl and putting it in the same stadium is not going to solve those problems. Think about this. The players that are on the teams playing in the Super Bowl will not be able to play in the Pro Bowl. Now I’m sure those players will say so what I get a chance to win a championship, which is true, but what if this is your one and only Pro Bowl. If that player loses the Super Bowl, they get no ring and no trip to Hawaii to help them forget about the loss. Last year Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald won the Pro Bowl MVP award after losing the Super Bowl. I’m sure he didn’t forget the fact that he didn’t win a championship but that had to help ease the pain a little. And another thing! Those players who just lost in the conference championships the week before, have to now go play a meaningless game in the same stadium as the game they wish they were playing in. If I was that player I wouldn’t go play. Do you think if a Peyton Manning loses in the conference championship game he will want to go play in the Pro Bowl the next week? Oh and one more thing! Does the NFL really think that people will come out and pay for a ticket to the Pro Bowl instead of going to one of the many parties during Super Bowl week in Miami? I think not!

The NFL really needs to rethink this ‘genius’ idea. Commissioner Roger Goodell is trying to do too much. Put the Pro Bowl back in Hawaii where it belongs.