Polling closed today for participants in this season’s NFL All-Star game. The votes are in and the cast of the 2016 Pro Bowl is beginning to take shape. Next, team captains Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin will draft their favorites for the January 31, 2016 matchup in Aloha Stadium. You can check out the full list here.
While there’s a fat chance the game will be anything to watch, the list of surprises and omissions always generates conversation. This year’s picks weren’t too egregious, although leaves room for questions. Like how did Brown’s TE Gary Barnridge or Dolphins wide out Jarvis Landry not make the list? An equally strong case could be made on the defensive side for Packers disrupting D-lineman Mike Daniels or Sean Lee, a quality performer overshadowed Big D’s horrific season. Probably the biggest snub was Jags Allen Robinson who is having a dominant season at wide receiver.
The Panthers and Patriots are both represented well with their MVP candidate quarterbacks leading the way. Although, if everything goes as planned and both teams reach the Super Bowl, neither will be sending any players. Plus Tom Brady always sits these things out anyway.
It’s the third year the league decided to follow this format attempting to woo fans to the watch the game before ‘The Big Game’. However ratings haven’t been improving so far.
It’s indicative of how sports fans feel about watching their league’s all-star games. The MLB All-Star Game (which actually counts for something) didn’t do so hot this year drawing a record-low 6.6 rating this year. And you wanna talk about hockey? Only about a million people tuned in to this year’s All-Star game.
The NBA has done well with All-Star Weekend. There are always big name celebrities who mix with the participants seamlessly and fun is abound, making the viewer experience feel more authentic. Even the skills competitions garner a decent rating.
But the Pro Bowl simply doesn’t have the appeal. The voracious speed and nature of the game is a big part of what drives us to watch football, a key component that is limited in the Pro Bowl. So it’s likely the NFL’s attempts at making the game ‘cool’ again will be futile.