if the NFL scrapped the Pro Bowl and showed this in its stead, i guarantee you'd all watch
galaxy27
Posts: 7,834 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Sports Talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp6Z6bh5Hl4
Comments
Love it!!!
I would always choose to watch things like this over the ProBowl. It is nice to see the players out of their element, doing something different, etc.
Didn't they try recently to bring back some skills competitions?
A few thoughts...
"Back then" the league didn't have any way to get media out to us, for the most part, other than on national tv. You could include local broadcasts and radio, but you get my point. Everything is so watered down now. If they ever did truly go back to things like this, it is certainly not going to be on network television. But the reality is that they won't go back to those types of things, in my opinion.
I've mentioned here before that I always loved the nuggets spewed forth by Nate Newton. Though he is no longer all over Dallas/Fort Worth radio, he was for several years. His 90s Cowboys stories were legendary, as was his "tell it like it is" analysis. I know that I've said this before, but it bears repeating in my opinion. Newton talked at length on multiple occasions about the differences in the idea of "team" between then and now. This would often tie into how those Cowboys teams were able to wrangle such a cast of characters and individuals into a cohesive unit. The answer, according to Newton, is that before social media , and even before widespread internet usage, there was for the most part only one way for the non-super star players to get their names out there and work on their own personal branding. That way was through team success. He says that the players new that if the team was successful, they as players would get more national interviews, endorsement opportunities, etc. And as SB champions, "they would all eat". That was the motivator. Now the players all have their individual platforms and brands. And therein lies the disconnect between then and now.
Also, shows like this were a good opportunity for the fans and non-fans to see the players faces and get to know them. Players were more likely to sign up for such things. No need to risk injury now. They no longer need the exposure.
Anything would be better than the Pro Bowl. Waste of time. Just like the NFL preseason games. I'm going to the Rams game tonight. Against my will. At least the tickets are free for tonight's game.(?).....That's how bad it is........