Let’s do away with the Pro Bowl… Finally!

Let’s do away with the Pro Bowl……finally!

The trend has been leaning that way in recent years. Even the NFL has cast is doubts on continuing the game. So why don’t we just let the other shoe drop and forget about the game.

Once upon a time the Pro Bowl was the NFL’s version of their All-Star Game.
Those selected first faced each other in the LA Coliseum with those selected from the Eastern Conference opposing the Western Conference of the NFL.

One team wore red jerseys with white numbers. The other wore white with blue numerals. Simple. The Stars in action.

Later, and for most of history, the game became a fixture in Honolulu with the AFC Stars playing those from the NFC. It became an attraction for the players who brought their families to Hawaii for a week of fun and relaxation.
But now times have changed.

Because of the increased concern for injuries in a game that has become faster and more violent played by bigger and faster athletes, the tendency is to turn it into a skills competition: passing, receiving, open field play, and an aversion to tackling. In other words, it’s really not football anymore.
Plus, a alarming number of stars picked to play beg off for various reasons, all centering around their health.

The combination of the two has turned the Pro Bowl into the least attractive of the All-Star games of every major sport.

So my idea is to continue naming those selected to play in the Pro Bowl for each conference. Award the players who distinguished themselves in the season just completed.

Just don’t play the game. It’s a tradition whose time has passed.