In 2012, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly considered cancelling the league’s all-star game for good, but three seasons later, the game still exists.
There have been changes made to this game since 2012 including how teams super stars are teamed up. In 2015, the two teams were Team Irvin, referring to Michael Irvin and team Carter, referring to Cris Carter. Carter played for the Minnesota Vikings for most of his career as a wide receiver and Irvin played for 11 seasons as a wide receiver all with the Dallas Cowboys.
“There were a couple of years it was horrible, when it seemed like tag football,” former NFL Players Association president Domonique Foxworth told The New York Times. “But the players told me they enjoyed playing together, so I came up with some ideas to keep the game.”
What should be shocking to players is that the average NFL career is just a little over three years and some will argue that letting one’s career vanish quicker in a game that means nothing is not worth the extra effort.
Even if the game is close and competitive, the real risk is that most participants are moments away from their off-season and the worst way to begin the off-season is by enduring an injury that is more than preventable.
However, there are incentives for players to make the Pro Bowl for accomplishments made during the regular season. For example, Elvis Dumervil of the Baltimore Ravens triggered $3 million in base salary escalators and earned $1 million in incentives for reaching 12 sacks in week 12 vs. the New Orleans Saints. His 2015, 2016 and 2017 salaries increase by $1 million.
The possibility of sustaining a concussion can be in the back of player’s minds even if the game is not played at full speed. Even with the extra $1 million that an Elvis Dumervil is to make over the next three seasons, the long-term health of players is something that some can never escape and all the money that some may need to dole out can wipe out any benefits gained in the short-term.
This year, Quarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers passed on playing in the 2015 Pro Bowl and the person who replaced him got a ton of attention on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/Schottey/status/557576762322722816
There are many good reasons to eliminate the Pro Bowl that have not been discussed above. Fans watch pro football to see participants give their all from start to finish, but in the Pro Bowl, we tend to see higher scoring games. Since the game was moved from the week after the Super Bowl to the week before, players who will be in the Super Bowl are no longer eligible to play in pro football’s version of the all-star game.
To me the biggest reason the Pro Bowl needs to be eliminated is because of the injuries that tend to dominate the game. The NFL is doing the right thing to crack down on helmet to helmet hits but the league can only do so much to protect players on that front. The game is so competitive and any defenders first impression can take precedence over the idea of safety and a player like Dumervil is paid to prevent the other team’s best receiver from catching a pass. Is he really going to play football like its a game of flag football and expect a receiver like Andre Johnson to not catch every pass?
The NFL has made strides in making the game safer but the best message the league can send to the players is to eliminate the Pro Bowl. Taking that next step should give the participants of this dangerous sport the assurance that the league is on the player’s side. The NFL needs to not just discuss this but take the next step because the Pro Bowl does not reflect what the actual game entails.
ryanhackman1026 