Moving the NFL Pro Bowl: Bad on So Many Levels

In case you haven't heard, Sunday's 30-21 victory by the NFC will be the last Pro Bowl played in Hawaii. Not only that, but next year it will be played BEFORE the Super Bowl. This is bad on so many levels. 

I understand why they want to move the Pro Bowl away from Hawaii. It's mainly because it's getting too expensive to go there every year. OK, that's fine; I guess I can understand.

The big problem I have with this move is: Putting it BEFORE the Super Bowl?

I'll admit, the two-week buildup for the Super Bowl gets old and stale after the first week.

Can the Steelers defense stop Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin? Can Kurt Warner lead another team to a Super Bowl title? On and on and on and on.

So while I will admit that maybe having a game in between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl is a GOOD idea—just don't let it be the Pro Bowl.

Did I mention that players involved in the Super Bowl are not allowed to play in the Pro Bowl?

Take a guy like Larry Fitzgerald. He helped lead his team to the Super Bowl by being arguably the best wide receiver in the league, but because he's in the Super Bowl, he can't be in the Pro Bowl. 

Or take James Harrison, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Nope, no Pro Bowl for him either. 

Did I mention that the Pro Bowl will be held in Miami, who is also hosting the Super Bowl? 

Apparently they are going to use the Pro Bowl as an extra advertisement for the Super Bowl. This past year was the most watched in history—do you really think it needs more advertisement? 

People who want to watch the Super Bowl will watch the Super Bowl, and those that don't, WON'T be watching the Pro Bowl.

Aloha Stadium this year was filled to near capacity (only 40+ fans shy of a complete sellout). They have no professional football all year, and this is their one chance.

Bringing it to the same stadium as the Super Bowl is a disaster waiting to happen. You live in Miami and you can only get tickets to one event. Which would you rather pick?  The Pro Bowl or the Super Bowl? Expect Dolphin Stadium to be near empty for the Pro Bowl next year.

Very few people really care about the Pro Bowl. Nobody will remember who won the game. 

This year, you had two really good Conference Championship games, followed up by arguably one of the best Super Bowls ever. Do you really want to break that up with a meaningless game like the Pro Bowl? 

What if they created a game between the losers of the Conference Championship games and put that in the week before the Super Bowl? I think the Eagles and Ravens could have been a pretty good game. Or take a page from the other pro sports, and have some sort of skills competition.

The NFL threatened to leave Hawaii because Aloha Stadium isn't up to standard. The stadium looked pretty good to me for only going there once a year. 

Fans will not fill up Dolphin Stadium next year, or the next, or the next. 

This is just a bad idea.