This is parochial of me, but I really think the NFL's decision to move its annual All-Star Game, the Pro Bowl, from Honolulu to Miami in 2010 will prove to be a one-off event.
For one thing, the players (and their families) have always been delighted to come to Hawai'i to play the game; it's a week-long vacation for the families in our beautiful state.
More importantly, the scheduling of the game for the intervening week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl will essentially exclude all the Pro Bowl players from the two teams which make it to the big game. Why? Because no player in his right mind is going to play in a meaningless exhibition game just a week before possibly the biggest game of his career. Nor are his coaches and his team's owners going to let him play.
Since it's likely that some of the NFL's biggest stars would not play because of that, the Pro Bowl's prestige will be degraded and its television viewership reduced.
Dumb decision, NFL.
Posted by Linkmeister at December 30, 2008 12:58 PM | TrackBackyeah but, yeah but, yeah but...since an awful lot of football fans live on the east coast don't you think that the proximity and the lower transportation costs might be a big draw to Miami? I mean...I'd pick Hawaii over Floridaythestatethatcan'tcount any day...
Posted by: Karan at December 31, 2008 12:46 PMNo way, Karan.
Butts in the seats are meaningless for the NFL. The only thing that matters is television $$. If FOX or ABC or whoever it is that has the rights to the Pro Bowl wants in held in Florida during the off-week, or in Dubai in early June, or in X at time Y, that's how it will be.
Posted by: N in Seattle at January 1, 2009 03:06 PM