A number of sports have an "all-star" game in the middle of the season, where the best players from many teams all play together. The NFL also has an all-star game (called the Pro Bowl) but since it occurs a week after the Super Bowl, it doesn't get much attention. Each year, excitement builds in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, but once the big game is over all the excitement dissipates.
Unfortunately, if the NFL's "all-star game" were earlier in the season, nobody who had a shot at the championship would want to risk injury in a game which wouldn't count for the standings. I would suggest, however, that if the NFL had an "almost-all-star" game which included the best players from every team except those in the Super Bowl, this problem would be avoided. After the last playoff game is complete, any team that isn't going to the Super Bowl won't have any more games to play, and thus wouldn't have to worry about injuries that might put their players out of the game for a week or two. Such a game should have broad appeal for fans of any of the many teams not making the Super Bowl, but would be able to build on the Super Bowl's excitement.-- supercat, Feb 09 2009 2010 Pro Bowl http://sports.espn....ws/story?id=3798734I think some people are not happy about it being before the Super Bowl [Zimmy, Feb 12 2009] Do that many people really watch the Pro Bowl? I thought they were actually doing what you propose next year anyway. And moving it out of Hawaii to boot.-- Zimmy, Feb 10 2009 Are you going to play the Pro Bowl in the week between the last playoff game and the Super Bowl? That would be pretty cool.-- Noexit, Feb 12 2009 The All-Star games sucks as is, why make it even suckier?-- xkuntay, Feb 12 2009 //Are you going to play the Pro Bowl in the week between the last playoff game and the Super Bowl? That would be pretty cool.//
It would go between the end of the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Whether it should be a week before or a day before the Super Bowl I'm not sure. Either date would have advantages.-- supercat, Feb 13 2009 Summary of ideas: One or more additional NFL games. Summary of bun-assessment: [-] for inflicting more NFL games upon us.-- vincevincevince, Feb 13 2009 All-star games remind me of games played during company picnics. You get a bunch of people from different departments that probably don't even like each other and get them to play awkward games. How about an Amlost All-star vs. the Champion Team game? That could be fun!-- xkuntay, Feb 15 2009 There was a $40,000 difference in the paycheck / player between the winning team and losing team in 2009. I think both teams REALLY wanted to win, to be honest. Although, I'm not sure about the coaches, because Peyton Manning was on the sidelines in the 4Q when I would have had him on the field.
(I think the Champion Team would destroy the Almost All Star team, to be honest).-- Zimmy, Feb 16 2009 random, halfbakery