Moving the Pro Bowl from Hawaii to Miami
The Pros:
- The game is held at the site of the Super Bowl during the off week, which will hopefully increase viewership and interest
- Potentially increase the profit for the NFL
- Provides a game that can fill the void created by the off week for fans who want to watch
The Cons:
- Players are less excited about the location, Miami is a less family oriented vacation spot
- Players on the Super Bowl teams can't play
- Players on the Super Bowl teams are required to show up for the Pro Bowl during a time when they likely would prefer to focus on the coming Super Bowl
- Players on Playoff teams have less time to rest prior to the game and therefore will likely dropout
- Dropouts this year are higher (or seem to be) than in prior years and therefor the Pro Bowl has significantly less meaning
- Potential for field damage on the Super Bowl field
In my opinion the Cons outweigh the Pros. I'm sure there are some on both sides that I've missed, but as a fan these are the ones that stand out to me the most.
A possible solution
My idea is that the NFL should hold the Pro Bowl at an International Destination, whether it be the same location each year or a rotation of a few locations. The NFL is clearly trying to increase their influence globally with the games being held in London. I agree and disagree with this idea. I agree that increasing the brand globally is a brilliant financial move, but I don't like the idea of a regular season game outside of North America (Mexico and Canada are fine because the time zones are the same).
Holding a regular season game in London takes a home game away from a team and throws off the weekly schedule of the teams involved for the week of the game and the following week. Also jet lag may be somewhat overstated, but if the NFL plays an east coast team against a west coast team in London there is a distinct advantage for the east coast team. You already hear people talk about the difficulty of traveling across country for a game, adding the Atlantic to the equation can only be more difficult. I obviously don't have access to players to ask, but I can't imagine players enjoy the London games all that much. Perhaps it is exciting on some level to play in a different venue with different fans, but the rest of the scenario has to wear on you.
A solution for the Pro Bowl game and the International branding could be obtained all in one decision. Possible locations could be England (Wembley), Mexico (Estadio Azteca), Ireland (Croke Park), Australia (Melbourne Cricket Grounds), Spain (Camp Nou), France (Stade de France), or Italy (Stadio Olimpico).
Going International with the Pro Bowl
The Pros:
- An international destination provides a place that players can use as a family vacation, similar to Hawaii and not Miami
- Your Pro Bowl players from all 32 teams could play
- Players bodies have a few weeks to rest prior to the game
- If you are living in London or another international destination hoping to catch a game, would you rather watch the best of the best play each other or the Patriots beat the Bucs 35-7?
- Variety for players, fans, and the families involved
- Increased revenue as the NFL will likely sell out the game at any of these locations
- Wembley (90,000 seats)
- Estadio Azteca (105,000)
- Croke Park (82,300)
- Melbourne Cricket Grounds (100,000)
- Camp Nou (98,700)
- Stade de France (81,300)
- Stadio Olimpico (72,700)
- Miami (45,500) or Hawaii (50,000)
The Cons:
- American viewership may go down, but few watch the game as it is, so why not take the increased international exposure
- Some locations may not have the exotic draw that Hawaii or Miami has
- Avg temp in February could be a concern in some locations
- England 45F
- Mexico 73F
- Ireland 46F
- Australia 79F
- Spain 57F
- France 45F
- Italy 56F
- Miami 69F or Hawaii 81F
Now in this alternative the Pros may not completely out weigh the Cons, but I think in the interest of the NFL, the players, and the fans who actually watch the Pro Bowl you could certainly make a case that they do. I have no idea what logistics would be involved in setting up something like this, but since a few games in London have already been arranged this seems like a feasible solution.
