While sophomore guard Sylven Landesberg and the Cavaliers dominated the Tar Heels on the road Sunday night, another game that featured some of the NFL's greatest stars was played in Miami.\nUnfortunately for these pros, however, their game was far less meaningful than the one in Chapel Hill and turned out to be much less fun to watch, (In case you missed it, which is likely, the AFC beat the NFC 41-34, and former Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub won MVP honors.)
What should be done with the NFL's annual all-star game? There are so many problems with it that something needs to change, and though I certainly don't have all the answers, I can try to propose some solutions.
Problem: Many players drop out of the Pro Bowl - that is, they are selected to go but choose not to - because they simply don't want to make the trip. This year, there were 31 roster changes after initial selections were announced.
Solution: This is the same problem faced by every professional sports leagues, so there's no easy fix here that would be unique to football. It's a slap in the face to fans when players drop out, and some people could argue that it dilutes the meaning of being an all-star - because so many replacements are added - but this problem reflects the players more than the league.
Problem: The Pro Bowl used to be played the week after the Super Bowl, but this year, it was moved up to the week before the big game. For that reason, even more players than usual didn't participate in the Pro Bowl, as the 14 Super Bowl starters who were selected for Pro Bowl rosters did not play during Sunday's game.
Solution: Go back to playing the game the week after the Super Bowl. Although ratings this year rose 40 percent, I don't know if that upward trend in viewership will continue, especially if the game continues to leave out more than a dozen of the league's best players. If the NFL puts on the all-star exhibition for the fans and wants to make fans happy, then the best players should be able to play in the Pro Bowl.
Problem: No one plays defense in the Pro Bowl because athletes don't want to get hurt. Defensive players, who were chosen as all-stars for their ability to stop the pass and the run, let themselves be passed and run all over. In my opinion, this is the biggest problem with the game because if these stellar athletes actually made a tackle or two, the game would be worth watching and the other problems wouldn't matter as much.
Solution: Players won't risk injury unless they have something for which to play, so either make the game mean something or change the way the game is played. But giving players a reason to go all out in an exhibition is a hard thing to do. It wouldn't make sense to adopt the Major League Baseball's model - the league that wins the All-Star Game gets home field advantage in the World Series - because the NFL's championship is one game at a predetermined, neutral site. And financial incentives might not work; I don't know if even the greediest of the Pro Bowlers would be willing to hit each other if it meant a little bit more money.
The best solution, therefore, might be to change how the game is played. My ultimate suggestion for the Pro Bowl is this: Make it a flag football game. By doing so, the game remains an exhibition and players don't have to worry about hitting each other, but at least defensive players would put forth a little effort and make the game more interesting. Fans might be more willing to watch if the game looks more fun and all their favorite players actually participate. And let's be honest: Apart from players wearing pads and not flags, what separates the current Pro Bowl game play from a game of flag football?
The Pro Bowl is truly an exhibition game, and there's no realistic way to make it anything more. But right now, it's a boring exhibition game. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it may actually be more entertaining if those multimillionaire all-stars travel back to their childhoods and snag nylon strips hanging from each other's waist bands. I'd guess that everyone would want to get in on that game, instead of dropping out of the Pro Bowl for fear of injury.
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