Look, I've made no bones about the fact that I wish the Pro Bowl would go away. The football is weak, the players have either been sitting for a month or just come off a tough playoff loss so they aren't in to it. If it went away, I wouldn't care.
However, the NFL still has it on life support and ... well, I'm coming around to some of the ideas. It could still go away for all I care, but if it has to be, at least they are changing things up.
I rolled my eyes with the whole "fantasy draft" aspect of it originally since it reeked of desperation. But in its second season, I actually enjoyed watching the draft (though Chris Rose sure look tired are ragged hosting it). I like the fact that not only were the guys drafting (this year Michael Irvin and Cris Carter) into it and had some sort of homework they were doing when constructing their rosters but the players themselves were there and would go up on stage to join their new teams. That was pretty cool.
I mean, if you are watching the Pro Bowl, you probably played fantasy football in some league this year. So you know how fun the draft can be. And you also know that it would be awesome to have the actual guy you drafted walk up on stage to accept your designed jersey.
I also hated the idea of moving it in the off-week before the Super Bowl and at the Super Bowl site. I thought it was just too much. However, it enables a lot of the previous paragraph. Guys show up to the Super Bowl because you just got to be there. You get face time, pitch your products, attend parties and enjoy all the trappings of being in the league. Because they are all going to be there anyway, may as well have it there.
All that adds to my final point: let's not be as stodgy about it. Look, MLB and NBA's All Star Games have a bit of fun mixed in with the competition. The NFL really didn't. It was a football game with no seriousness in it but, actually, no fun. Scrapping the NFC vs AFC format was good since we sort of get that vibe with the Super Bowl itself. Seeing teammates on opposite sides is always cool.
Maybe with some more tweaks, I'll stop with the gas chamber.
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