Great Success?

Being that the Pro Bowl was yesterday and Ben G. just wrote about the NBA All-Star attraction, I figured it'd be appropriate to follow that up with the NFL edition. The question I'm contemplating is whether or not yesterday's Pro Bowl was a success. When I say success, I'm referring to whether or not it reached its full potential. Many still believe that it didn't, however, I believe that it did.

First off, in terms of where the Pro Bowl should be played, although it's been announced that it will once again be played in Hawaii next year, I think it's definitely better off being played in the continental U.S. I don't think Hawaii is the best alternative, and something tells me Alaska wouldn't exactly go well. But in all seriousness, despite the fact that Hawaii is gorgeous and is a nice escape for some players, it's a much tougher market. The reality is that people are more likely to pay attention to a game in a major city and familiar time zone than they would for a game being played 3000 miles off the West Coast. The continental U.S. easily generates more awareness, excitement, and revenue, which is of course why the NFL still exists today. Sorry Hawaii. I love you, but you're better off sticking to beautiful beaches and incredible pineapples as your main tourist attractions.

Secondly, as for when the game should be played, I think it's much better off being held the week before the Super Bowl, as opposed to the week after, which would again make this year a success. While it's been announced that we're going back to Hawaii next year, Roger Goodell and company have yet to decide if the game will be played before or after the Super Bowl. In my mind, it makes much more sense to take place prior to Super Bowl Sunday, mainly because following the Super Bowl, the NFL is officially out of season. It's no longer current. People begin shifting their attention to the start of spring training and how March Madness will be shaping up. There's no longer that same focus on the NFL like it garners during the regular season and playoffs. It makes sense to me that the game should be held while the NFL is as relevant as possible. Now, of course, these cases can't be directly related, but imagine if the NBA All-Star Game or the MLB All-Star Game was played after the postseason ended. Would you have any interest? I know I wouldn't, and I'm as big of a baseball fan as they come. In addition to the relevance factor, who cares if you lose the players from the Super Bowl teams? Okay, fine, it would be nice for those ten players to take part in the game, but there are always dozens of players that pull out of the game every year anway. It's really not that big of a deal when you put in perspective. Not to mention, I actually like seeing new players get an opportunity to play in the game and showcase their skills. It's nice to have new blood and minimize the number of deserving players that got left off the roster. Who would have thought that Matt Schaub would ever play in a Pro Bowl, let alone start for the AFC, let alone be named the MVP? That was great to see. The Matt Schaubs of the world deserve a chance to play in a Pro Bowl, and be both awarded and recognized for their regular season achievements.

Obviously, this is all just one mans opinion, but it really makes the most sense to me, both from a business point of view and a fan point of view, to play the Pro Bowl in the continental U.S. the week before the Super Bowl. Again, my apologies to Hawaiian faithful. Aloha.