In two short weeks, each major kind of football played in America will be over. The Colts and the Saints are headed to south Florida to compete in the Super Bowl which, as a New Orleans descendant and former Baltimore resident, puts me in black and gold. Speaking of South Florida, USF's own (and we'll ignore who he currently plays for) Mike Jenkins is Pro Bowl bound, becoming USF's first alum to be honored in that way.
Regarding the Pro Bowl, I believe it to be the most worthless all-star game in all of pro sports, but I honestly don't know how to change that. Because of football's immense physicality, players are right not to want to risk life and limb for an exhibition. I'll admit I thought it was foolish to move the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl, and for the most part I still do. But this move does have one thing going for it: With its previous placement after the Super Bowl, most football fans had already dejectedly accepted our lot in life: Football was gone and would not return until late August. Watching a bunch of millionaires have fun in Hawaii offered little solace. So perhaps the timing, paired with the move to the mainland (though it's still Miami) may make a few more folks tune in.
That said, I can think of one more negative to it taking place the weekend before the Super Bowl: It now steps on the toes of Honda Battle of the Bands Weekend which always provided an appropriate "halftime" in the break between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. I won't be making the trip this year, but if ever I were traveling (and I actually will be this year; just in the opposite direction, to Delaware, for a buddy's 30th birthday) the Pro Bowl would easily lose out.
Regarding the Pro Bowl, I believe it to be the most worthless all-star game in all of pro sports, but I honestly don't know how to change that. Because of football's immense physicality, players are right not to want to risk life and limb for an exhibition. I'll admit I thought it was foolish to move the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl, and for the most part I still do. But this move does have one thing going for it: With its previous placement after the Super Bowl, most football fans had already dejectedly accepted our lot in life: Football was gone and would not return until late August. Watching a bunch of millionaires have fun in Hawaii offered little solace. So perhaps the timing, paired with the move to the mainland (though it's still Miami) may make a few more folks tune in.
That said, I can think of one more negative to it taking place the weekend before the Super Bowl: It now steps on the toes of Honda Battle of the Bands Weekend which always provided an appropriate "halftime" in the break between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. I won't be making the trip this year, but if ever I were traveling (and I actually will be this year; just in the opposite direction, to Delaware, for a buddy's 30th birthday) the Pro Bowl would easily lose out.
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