The Baltimore Ravens have an NFL record 13 players invited to the 2020 Pro Bowl. Yet, even with so many Ravens on the roster, the idea of watching the game seems a pretty tough slog to get through. While it’s a huge achievement for the players themselves and a nice recognition of their efforts during the season, it’s not exactly the greatest football for fans.
One of the top reasons for it being a snooze-fest of a game is because they tend to not be very competitive. The final outcome doesn’t really mean very much to the players themselves, even though there is some mild difference in payment between the winning and losing teams.
So, what could make the Pro Bowl more exciting for fans and turn it into a must-see event? I take a look at a few changes the NFL could do that would make me want to watch it at least.
New camera angles:
Anyone that has played a video game or watched football on television has probably wanted to see things through the eyes of the players.
What is it actually like to be the quarterback and throw a 65-yard touchdown? How cool is it to be a linebacker and blow up a running back at the line of scrimmage? What about a cornerback making a break on the ball to nab an interception? These are all things the majority of football fans will never personally experience, so why not give it to them?
Camera technology has come a long way, even over the last 10 years. They’re lighter but can still shoot 4k footage at a fraction of the size of the handheld cameras of my youth. Helmet-mounted cameras are a regular thing for action sports and it seems like an obvious addition in a game that is all about fan enjoyment.
Streaming options:
The NFL’s television rights likely block most of this option, which is a problem for the league worthy of a separate post entirely. But the NFL has been lacking quality legal streaming options for far too long, making fans have to sit in front of their televisions or hold a specific telecom package in order to watch the way they want. That’s terrible all season long but it’s especially inexcusable for a special game that seemingly gets a fraction of the viewers even a bad regular-season game gets.
Not only should more casual fans be able to tune into the Pro Bowl from all around the world, but they should also be able to watch most aspects leading up to the game as well. From the practices to the individual skills competitions, the NFL should be streaming the ins and outs of what goes into a football game, especially one with as many big names as the Pro Bowl has.
In addition to having legal streaming options and showing more of the lead-up to the game, fans should be able to choose between their camera angles. It would be cool to watch a goal-line stand from the pylon camera or a touchdown run from the goalposts.
Pay more money:
One of the chief complaints about the Pro Bowl is that none of the players seemingly care about the game. We see a bunch of players decline the nomination every year, effectively ruining the whole idea that it’s the best players in the league. And even when the game finally happens, it sure doesn’t seem like the players care very much about the outcome, leading to some pretty half-hearted play.
When many of the players suiting up are earning millions of dollars a year, $70K for the winning team and $35K for the loser hardly seems worth it. If a player’s contract is worth more than $1.19 million for the year, they’re actually taking less money to play in the Pro Bowl than a normal game check, even if they win the Pro Bowl.
Upping that to $200K for the winners ultimately isn’t very much for a league where the average team worth was $2.57 billion in 2018, according to Forbes and CNBC. Yet, it would be enough to incentivize most players to show up to the Pro Bowl and actually give it everything they’ve got. It would certainly create a more interesting game that has some real consequences for the players.
In-game bonuses:
One of the things I think the UFC gets right is giving bonuses to fighters depending on who put up the best performances that night. Instead of a “Fight of the Night” bonus like in MMA, something like “Best Player” or “Play of the Game” would further incentivize the players to giving more effort and to create bigger plays. Plus, if you allow fans to vote on the award live, it would push people to watch the game live.
Celebrations:
The NFL has frequently been called the “No Fun League” by plenty of fans and pundits for good reason. While there are some good reasons for enforcing these rules during the regular season, the Pro Bowl seems like the perfect spot to let the players unwind a little bit.
How many people remember the play that got former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson into the end zone for his celebrations compared to those that just remember his fine-inducing antics?
Giving the skill-position players a day with a choreographer and stadium staff to work on specific dances, pyrotechnics and additional on-field elements would create highlights all by themselves. Fans wouldn’t know what was coming next and that puts butts in seats.
No penalties, challenges or replays:
Football fans have grown tired of seeing yellow and red flags on the field. For fans, it grinds the game down to a halt and ultimately only means another viewing of the same three commercials they’ve already seen a million times in this game.
Penalties, challenges and booth replays matter a lot more in the regular season and playoffs because the outcome of the game is far more important. In the Pro Bowl, it only serves to have people change the channel, which is exactly what they’re doing.
You could eliminate the idea of the game turning ugly and potentially dangerous by only keeping egregious personal foul penalties for the officials. But for everything else, I’d trust the players to manage the game themselves and play within the rules for the most part.
Plus, how awesome would it be to see a defensive back finally fight for the football on a deep throw and not see a yellow flag instantly? Or imagine a coach being allowed to be creative and create completely different formations that would normally break the rules? It would be madness but entertaining madness.
Fan voted plays
Let’s turn the Pro Bowl into a live version of a video game by having fans choose the plays themselves. On the first new series of every quarter, each offense is given an extended play clock where fans get 30 seconds to vote on the play to be run next. Every other series in the game is run by the coaching staff like normal.
That would keep fans engaged in the game for all four quarters without completely ruining the outcome if the plays are chosen poorly. Plus, I bet we’d see far more interesting play selections than what some of the coaches would run, hopefully creating some more big moments.
