The Worst of the All Stars

Photo: billsoPHOTO via Flickr 

What is the point of the Pro Bowl? It is nowhere near as cool as the NBA All Star Game, the MLB All-Star Game, or the NHL All-Star Game. In fact, all three of those All-Star events last an entire weekend and are fun to watch. The NFL All-Star weekend...is just plain boring.

Players show up a week before the game, learn a few plays, and then get one to three series in the game, and go home. No fun skills tests, no interesting plot twists, nothing. How is that different from any other NFL game week?

Simply put, it in Hawaii. That is the only thing that separates the Pro Bowl week from any other average NFL work week; it's location.

The best NFL players don't even participate. Why? Because they are playing in the league championship game the very next weekend. Think about it. We're missing Ray Lewis, Joe Flacco, Colin Kaepernick, and Frank Gore...just to name a few. What's an All-Star event without the All-Stars?

What's at stake? In the MLB, the winning league gets home field advantage for the World Series. For the NBA and NHL, it's bragging rights. In the NFL..."we're all winners". Again, whats the point?

In the NBA, there's the Slam Dunk Contest. In the NHL, there's the Best Trick Contest. In the MLB, there's the Home Run Derby. What marquee skills test makes the NFL All-Star festivities awesome? Nothing.

It's time to do away with the NFL Pro Bowl. It is simply another chance for players to get hurt and all they get is some cash and sweet new jersey to hang in their house. Possibly a trophy if they play well enough.

There is one simple way to keep the NFL All-Star weekend. Add to it! Make it cool! Add a skills competition. A punt, pass, and kick type thing. Play some flag football with some retired players like Prime Time and Montana. Don't just have all these fans go to Hawaii for one week of practice and a meaningless football game.

Each year, the Pro Bowl becomes less popular and the laughing stock of the major American-sport All-Star events.