Its a head scratcher really. The two biggest sports leagues are in serious need of some adjustments to one of their showcase events but can’t seem to figure out how to do it. Well, let me help. I have been taking a close look at both the NFL Pro Bowl and the NBA All Star Game and see some huge issues in both leagues. Lets start with the NFL.
The NFL Pro Bowl
Here is a description of the Pro Bowl taken directly from the NFL’s website: “For the first time since 1980, the Pro Bowl will be played somewhere other than Honolulu. The annual contest between the AFC’s and NFC’s best will take place Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida.”
Problem #1 – Players have little to no motivation to play in the game. For many years, the draw of the Pro Bowl from a player’s standpoint was 3 things. First and foremost was the pride of making the team. That has really nothing to do with the game itself, but is in effect being named to the NFL’s All Pro Tea, which should be a very high honor that any NFL player would be proud of. Second, players received a free vacation to an exotic location in Hawaii for a week to relax and hang out with friends and players from other teams. For years this worked well, because players viewed a trip to Hawaii as a nice treat. Now, the Pro Bowl is being held in South Florida at a time when the focus will be on the players in the Super Bowl, not the players in the Pro Bowl. Definitely a slap in the face, especially if you happen to play for the Vikings or the Jets. And of course, the third thing is money. It’s always about the money, and players typically get bonuses for making the Pro Bowl and get paid for playing in the game. They even get a little more money if their team wins.
Problem #2 - The NFL’s description of the game calls it a “contest between the AFC’s and NFC’s best.” Really? Last time I checked, the Super Bowl Champions were considered the best players, and starting this year they aren’t even eligible to play. In fact, and I’m not making this up, they are encouraged to show up at the game and “wave.” So for the AFC this year, if we believe the NFL’s own description of the game, Vince Young and David Garrard were two of the best quarterbacks for them this year. I kid you not. Vince Young, who wasn’t even good enough to start on his own team for half the season and relied heavily on the success of Chris Johnson when he did play, and David Garrard. Both have QB ratings of about 83 making them #17 and #18 in QG rating respectively in the league this year. Nice false advertising by the NFL here.
Problem #3 – The Super Bowl players are not able to play in the game. Really, this is just a continuation of the previous point. The AFC could have Peyton Manning. Instead we get to see more of David Garrard? And what about first-time Pro Bowlers that are playing in the big game? This robs them of another cool experience that they have EARNED. You take the credibility away from the game when you subtract their biggest superstars. Can you imagine the NBA going through All Star Weekend with no Lebron or Kobe? No Magic or Michael? People would be outraged, and rightfully so.
Solution:
I wouldn’t be much of a sports writer if I just complained about the problems without offering a solution. So here you go NFL. Free of charge. I hope you are reading Mr. Goodell…..
Two weeks after the season, the NFL announces their ALL PRO teams. Think of it like the All America team that you see every year in college football. Also, like college football, these guys do NOT have to play in a game against each other. None of the players really want to play this game anyway, and why would they? The risk of injury is much higher in the NFL than in any other sport, especially since the teams play a lot fewer games, making each game more important. An injury to one of your best players in a meaningless game is stupid. So why do it? Give these guys the extra money they deserve for being on the ALL PRO team, along with some kind of cool award at a fancy banquet. Let us clap for them and see lineman try to get dressed up in tuxes. I mean, who wouldn’t tune in to see what kind of tux Jared Allen would wear?
Secondly, make the ALL PRO weekend a fun event that is similar to the NBA All Star Weekend. Roger Goodell, you are gonna love my list of events:
Skills Challenge
| Kick-Off | 4 of the league’s best kickers punt for distance and accuracy. |
| Fastest Man | Chris Johnson gets to take on all challengers to prove he is the fastest man in the NFL. |
| Strongest Man | This is a simple completion to see who can lift the most weight. Bring out ten of the big uglys and see who is the last man standing. |
| Best Hands – Offense | Crank up the passing machine and see who can catch the most balls. |
| Best Hands – Defense | Same as above, but with defensive players only this time. |
| Most Accurate Passer | Picture Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Brett Favre, etc throwing footballs into targets to see who really is the most accurate. |
| Best Arm | Remember those Michael Vick commercials? Think he still has it? Let’s all find out together. |
Rookies vs Retired flag football game: Since there has to be some kind of game, let the rookies take on retired NFL guys that think they still have it in a flag football game. The NFL should work especially hard at getting guys out of the booths to play in the game. Get Troy Aikman, Phil Simms, Deion Sanders, Moose Johnson, etc. And the added bonus is this gives us all a chance to see Brett Favre continue to scratch the itch every year after he retires. The NBA is going to be so mad at themselves for not thinking of this first. Jordan would play FOR SURE.
The NBA All Star Weekend
Now let’s work on fixing the NBA. Honestly, there isn’t a lot to fix here. David Stern has done a pretty good job of generating fan interest and keeping the entire weekend entertaining. With just a few tweaks, I think it could be even bigger.
Problem #1: Just like in the NFL, we don’t get to see the best players play in this game? Why? The voting is left up to the fans. And let’s face it, most fans don’t have a clue. How else can you explain Allen Iverson being named a starter on the East squad? After playing only 19 games, Iverson was voted onto the team. Keep in mind that when the ballots were made, he was part of a team in the West, the Memphis Grizzlies, and all of those votes counted toward him representing the Sixers on the East. The West squad isn’t much better. Until the final weeks of voting, Tracy McGrady, a guy who has been all but cut by the Rockets, was slated as the second guard. Late surges by Steve Nash and Chris Paul saved the NBA from that disaster, but these are the kinds of things you get when the fans vote on the starters.
Problem #2: The players we want to see in the Slam Dunk Contest and the 3-Point Challenge are not the ones that end up there. Instead, its a bunch of nobodies. Gone are the days of Jordan vs ‘Nique. This year we see Nate Robinson, Gerald Wallace, Shannon Brown and the winner of a dunk-in between Eric Gordon and DeMar DeRozan. Not exactly a list of the who’s who in the NBA. Most of these guys will be wearing a sneaker named after one of the true superstars in the league. Why can’t we see them dunk instead? And last year’s 3-Point Challenge winner? I know you all have posters of Daequan Cook hanging on your wall.
Luckily for David Stern and the NBA, I have 2 easy adjustments that would make the NBA All Star Weekend blow all other All Star events out of the water. Again, my ideas are free of charge.
Adjustment #1 Change the voting for the game completely. The fans should not be the ones voting players into the All Star Game. The players and coaches should be. They are the ones that know best when it comes to who the real ballers are. So let them decide. It makes it even more of an honor to play in the game, and doesn’t just end up being a popularity contest. It also solves the problem of having guys like Allen Iverson as a starter after only playing a few games this year. But what about the fans? How will my voice be heard? I think you are REALLY going to like the next adjustment…..
Adjustment #2 Allow fans to vote who THEY want to see in the Dunk Contest and the 3-Point Challenge. Can you imagine the number of votes you would see for something like this. Picture a dunk contest with Lebron, Kobe, Dwight, Dwyane and anybody else. It would be epic. The ratings would be off the charts. I’m not sure any JerryWorld could contain it. And the trick is, it would be tougher to decline as a player because the fans voted you in. Make it so that the money from the votes cast for each player (by text message of course) goes to their favorite charity. Finally, add a rule that doesn’t allow any player to participate more than 3 years in a row without winning so it doesn’t get stale over time, and you have a plan that can’t miss. The winners get the ultimate in bragging rights. Even the 3-point contest would be great. David Stern, when you are counting your millions made off of this idea just remember you heard it here first.
I agree. The NFL is tdoes the greatest job with the regular season and playoff schedule. They have completely missed the boat with preseason and their “All Star” game. The Pro Bowl is terrible, to put it simply. They don’t really play so you don’t get to see the best against the best. Also, the fans really aren’t a big part of the game at all.
I agree with the adjustments to the NBA All Star Game. They really have the best one out there but there are still some small changes. The NBA incorporates the fans into the game as much as they can and really make it fun for them. It is basically also an entire week dedicated to having fun not only for the players but the fans as well. The only thing witht he voting on the dunk contest is those players are asked to all the time but they refuse. So even if we, the fans, voted them in they would still refuse. And although as great as Kobe, Lebron and Wade would be to watch, would they do anything we haven’t seen before…unfortunately, probably not. The dink contest isn’t much of a draw now not just because of the nobodies, but even with the somebodies that have dont it recently, we havent seen anything new or exciting in a long time. Nate Robinson really has been the most exciting and the only reason that is, is because he is 5’7. Which by the way has been done before and even better…Spud Webb.