Local Push For The Pro Bowl
April 20th, 2016
The NFL’s greatest stars, minus the ones in the Super Bowl and those who shun exhibition games, might be coming to Orlando in January.
Per George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel, a huge push is on for the Citrus Bowl to take over Pro Bowl hosting duties for the next three seasons. You can read all about it here.
The Pro Bowl is nearly meaningless (unless you’re America’s Quarterback soaking up wisdom and inspiration). But it would be pretty darn cool for local Bucs fans to be able to hop in a car and attend easily.
Joe will say this about the Citrus Bowl. It’s $200 million upgrade a couple of years ago turned it into a stunning facility, complete with giant video boards. It’s a huge reason why expansion Orlando City set Major League Soccer attendance records last year, and drew 60,000+ for its opening day last month.
April 20th, 2016 at 10:55 am
Before the typical trashing of the Pro Bowl, I would suggest you actually attend one first. I can just about guarantee you would feel differently. It’s a great experience to see all these great players on the same field together. It’s not about how hard they play, but rather the experience. They are relaxed, they interact more with the fans, not to mention all the events that take place in the week leading up to the game. And before you say nobody watches it, I suggest you check the stats. A sh!t ton of people watch the game every single year.
April 20th, 2016 at 11:04 am
@Hawaiian
Nice to offer the counter view. I hadn’t thought about the “experience” until you mentioned it.
I suspect Pro Bowls are a lot more fun in person than on the tube. I watched about 15 minutes last year because #3 was going off and I enjoyed watching it.
April 20th, 2016 at 11:29 am
I went to one….at the Big Sombrero 1978!
April 20th, 2016 at 11:30 am
I think the ONLY reason players even bother attending is because it is in Hawaii. Take that away, and you’ll lose record numbers of players.
Even last year, you saw signs the players no longer respected it. Many pulled their names out from under it.
April 20th, 2016 at 11:37 am
Personally, I can’t even watch the game anymore. I watched it back when it was AFC vs NFC…it gave me a team to cheer for. The new format took that away. I hate it now.
If they want it to have success, then they need to make these changes:
– Make it NFC vs AFC again
– Make it so that players who play in the Super Bowl are exempt
– Make it so that all other players must attend if named, unless there is a medical exemption
– Give the winner (AFC or NFC) one extra roster spot on their teams for that year.
– Give the players who win some sort of bonus or reward. Maybe donations to their charities or something (match their game salary for the Pro Bowl and donate that to the charities).
Goals
Give the fans reason to watch.
Give the teams reason to participate.
Give the players a reason to play hard.
April 20th, 2016 at 12:17 pm
@Bonzai
Some great points in there. I absolutely agree that the NFC-AFC format was far more compelling and at least had some bragging rights on the line.
And I agree adding incentives like rosters spots, bonus, charity etc would also improve the competition.
But that’s the problem. I suspect the NFL powers realized these players represent multimillion dollar investments now…who wants to blow GMC’s knee out for next year?
The problem is that injuries are part of the game especially “competitive” games and I think the owners and the players no longer have the stomach to place million dollar investment and careers on the line.
April 20th, 2016 at 3:09 pm
I remember going to the pro-bowl at the ol’ sombrero when I was a kid. I believe I represented the Bucs with my Dave Pear jersey, I was a blast getting all my little triangle banners signed over the chain link fence during the game.
April 20th, 2016 at 5:33 pm
@Bonzai,
I get what you are saying, but you have to understand the circumstances. They don’t need to play hard, nor should they. They don’t want to get hurt. A lot of these guys are outside of their contract. If they hurt themselves, it could cost them millions. Would you have wanted Doug Martin to play last year if guys were trying to tear his head off? So then in getting the guys to play hard, you in turn make them less likely to want to play. If I’m an agent, I forbid my player to play if they play hard. The game is for fun. It’s to watch them put Richard Sherman in at receiver and run a reverse. It’s to see Michael Bennett play QB and run the read option. It’s to see fake punts. It’s to see laterals after interceptions. It’s to see them have some fun. I get that might not be for everyone, but if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. But here’s the thing, people do watch it – lots of people. Ratings and attendance aren’t the problem. The game is fine. It’s exactly what it should be.