The NFL's Big Move Could Be a Big Mistake

The National Football League All-Star Game, commonly referred to as the Pro Bowl, has been moved, both in terms of date and location. Previously, the game was held in Hawaii on the Sunday following the Super Bowl. Now, the league will be holding the game on the Sunday before the Super, in the city where the upcoming Super Bowl game will be held. While it makes sense from a financial standpoint to move the game into the states as opposed to flying the players to Hawaii, holding the game the week before the Super Bowl has the potential to ruin the league´s biggest game of the year.

Every year, the Pro Bowl rosters are selected and, almost immediately, players start begging out of the game, citing various injuries or reasons why they cannot attend, having already received their incentive bonuses in most cases simply for being chosen to the team. By the time the game actually happens, the teams vaguely resemble the teams that were assembled when the rosters were selected. Now, particularly with regards to the two teams who win their conference championships, there are fewer opportunities to assert an inability to appear, because if said player is too hurt to play in the Pro Bowl, how would he be healthy enough to play the next week in the Super Bowl?

Because the players whose teams will be appearing in the Super Bowl will almost definitely be forced to appear in the Pro Bowl, there is the risk that some accident or injury could occur that could cost one of the teams a key player, and possibly, cost that team the game and the championship. Many advocates of the move will cite the fact that the game is just an exhibition, and that no one will be playing hard, but football players are competitive beings by nature and as such, there is no way that players will want to allow their teams to lose a game, even an exhibition game, just for the purpose of protecting a player who is scheduled to appear in the following week´s Super Bowl.

There is no reason to believe that a player would intentionally hurt another player, because this does not happen when the games are real and important, but accidents happen. Suppose someone tries to block a field goal, and someone, who typically does not play on special teams, runs into the kicker and lands on his leg. Now, the kicker for one of the Super Bowl teams is forced to miss the game. Suppose someone, who typically does not play special teams, is trying to stop a kick or punt returner, misses the tackle and someone lands on his knee. Now, a key linebacker or safety for a Super Bowl team is forced to miss the game. Suppose a wide receiver gets too competitive and leaps to catch a pass and gets hit while up in the air, lands on his head and suffers a concussion. Now, a key offensive player for a Super Bowl team is forced to miss the game. You get the point. Anything could happen, and by holding the Pro Bowl the week before the Super Bowl, when players on Super Bowl teams cannot fake injuries to get out of the game because they would have to explain their speedy recovery in time to be ready for the Super Bowl to the league, something could.

It is truly understandable to move the game, because it is important to try to get as many people to buy tickets to the game as possible. However, by holding the game before the Super Bowl, players on the two best teams in the league are forced to appear. While the league´s best players in this game is a coup for the league, it could prove detrimental for the teams playing in the following week´s Super Bowl. If someone important to the Super Bowl is injured in the Pro Bowl the week before, the league would see that moving the game and hurting the Super Bowl is just not worth the money made by moving the Pro Bowl.