The Pro-Bowl

So today, I put on the Pro-Bowl, hoping to see a great football game, from some of the best players in the league.

But what we were treated to, was a disaster.

The first half was all NFC. They were leading 42-0 at halftime. I will repeat that. 42-0, at halftime. The AFC was able to mount a small comeback, was was able to close the gap, but the NFC was still able to hold out, winning the game 55-41.

So in a nutshell, the game was horrendous. It was very lopsided, players looked like they didn’t care, and the stadium was emptied out half-way through the second half. Defenses couldn’t blitz, and couldn’t really do anything. At the snap, the defensive lineman pretty much just stood up, and did nothing.

So, my question is, how do you make the Pro-Bowl better?

An easy question, but a hard to answer. With no incentive, and nothing on the line, it is hard to players to find motivation to play a good game. Sure, everyone is competitive, but it was not prevalent on the field today.  They moved the week before the Super Bowl to start the hype of Super Bowl week, but it fell flat. No Super Bowl players were allowed to play, and the game wasn’t fun to watch.

With everything going right for the NFL (except the CBA), this is really one of the only negatives to the NFL. It is not a spectacle like it is in other sports, a showcase to spotlight the best players out there. The NFL needs to improve this, just for the fans sake. If they don’t, it lacks the spark for the beginning of the Super Bowl week, and will do the exact opposite of what the league’s executives want it to do.