The press has a very influential role in our society. It presents the news, reports the news, and tells us what is going on in the world.
And sometimes it instructs us in what we are supposed to think and believe. When it does that, it is counting on our cooperation in believing what it tells us, with the hope and confidence that we will not think for ourselves and form our own opinions.
Every year about this time I observe an example of this: the Pro Bowl.
Last Sunday the NFL season ended entirely with the annual playing of the Pro Bowl, the NFL all-star game, which is about to end a 30-year run in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Presently there are discussions about whether or not to extend the contract in Hawaii, and while none of us knows what the result will be, one thing we do know is that the Pro Bowl remains very unpopular with the press, and very popular with the public.
We know it is unpopular with the press because they tell us so. They tell us the game is irrelevant, and that no one cares about it.
However, like a lot of sporting events, it is on television.
And like everything on television, there is no obligation to watch. Watching is an expression of individual choice, a matter of personal preference by viewers.
Certainly, heading up to the game itself, we were all advised by the press that the game is irrelevant, that it does not matter — of course, the winning players get $40,000, and the losers get $20,000 each, so mathematically, some players and coaches would say that it does matter, if money has any significance in our lives.
Then the game was played last Sunday, and the ratings came out on Monday.
And as some of us knew would happen, the Pro Bowl, the game we were told no one cared about, was the highest rated of the 16 televised weekend sports events.
The Pro Bowl had a rating of 6.9. The next highest rating of the 16 events was a 4.5 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup: Budweiser Shootout, and the next highest after that, the third highest rated weekend TV event, was the NBA game between the Lakers-Heat, which attracted a 2.9.
So the NFL’s postseason all-star game had an audience more than double the highest rated NBA game of the weekend.
The NHL game between the Ducks and Red Wings had a rating of 0.9, or about one-seventh as many viewers as the Pro Bowl attracted.
So some people don’t like the Pro Bowl, that’s fine, I understand that.
But what a lot of those people try to do is tell us that we don’t like it.
Since TV ratings are the value system which determines what Americans are watching, and the ratings don’t lie, it would appear that the Pro Bowl critics are out of touch with the American viewing public when they say nobody cares.
Based on 16 televised events, the Pro Bowl could have finished anywhere from first to 16th, and it finished first.
And in our very competitive society, we have not yet come up with a higher finish than that.
Tags: Media, Pro Bowl, Television
I watched the game this year for the first time in about 5 years. I was surprised when I saw that the defense was getting penalties for bumping at line of scrimmage on a receiver and for blitzing. When did all this change. I dont recall those rule changes for this game, 5 years ago.
The game actually looked a little slower than a regular season game. Some one real special has to be in this game befpore I watch it again, oh every one in the game is supposer to be real special for that year. So I guess I won’t watch it agin.
ya i agree wit you WGBronco the probowl should be renamed the Pro Blow cuz its not based on talent its more a popularity contest otherwise dumerville would have been there.
I definitely agree that the press has been overly negative on the Pro Bowl but it seems these days they have a negativity quota to fulfill. I think the main problem with the Pro Bowl is that some of the players don’t care about it and that attitude spills over to everyone else. But this is no different than all the major sporting all star games, especially baseball who had to practically force the players to stay for the whole game. What would also help is if the system wasn’t such a popularity contest and was more about skill, talent and on field accomplishments. Its good to know that the Pro Bowl is watched by people, but its no surprise since football is by far the most popular sport. I’d hate to see the Pro Bowl become eliminated, I always see it as the last taste of football for the season.
The Pro Bowl is for the NFL to showcase the the BEST it is has to offer on the field. I would like to see just one game that has the BEST talent on the field at one time and both sides play 100%. Then THAT would be a GREAT game!!
The problem with the Pro Bowl is that it’s not as prestigous as the Super Bowl. Every player’s goal is to win the big one which is the Super Bowl; not the Pro Bowl. I agree with WGBronco that if all the players would play 100% it would be a very exciting game. I just don’t forsee that happening. What player wants to have a carrer-ending injury in a game that won’t help him get to the Super Bowl? After all that, I, like tigervixxxen, watch it because that’s the last bit of football I get to see until basketball and baseball take over. Now, why did the Pro Bowl get more viewers than the other 16 televised sports events? The only logical explanation would be that football is so much more popular than the rest. Basketball and baseball have so many games in their regular season the feeling that one game lost is not the end of the world can not be helped. 65-16 is a great season compared to 0-16. As for NASCAR, who can’t turn left?
The press is paid to be negative. Negativity sells papers. I went to the game this year and had a great time at all of the events. If you can’t have a good time in Hawaii, then something is wrong with you. All of the events where packed. Everyone seemed pretty happy me. I will be attending the ProBowl next year. The one thing I would reccomend is to make the players more available to the fans. Unless you are staying at Turtle Bay, you will not get a sniff of Champ. You pay a bunch of money to go to these tailgate parties and the players do not attend them. I would have love to just get an autograph. That would be the only thing I would complain about.
I agree whole heartedly with Mr. Saccomano. I am so sick of the media telling me the Pro Bowl is meaningless; it’s the All-Star game, where All Pros become All Pros (at least in the eye of the fans). Sure not all the best show up but thats fine; I was much happier to see Dereck Anderson play than Tom Brady, T.J Howsmydillah instead of Randy Moss. Etc. Of course it’s not a real game, but neither are the NBA’s or MLB’s for that matter. It’s all offense, all the tim , who doesnt like that? Plus it’s the closest most of us will get to see the best, or at least the next best, play a rec game. And as for the Pro Bowl being moved, well that’s a post for another time. And to WG Bronco: The rules have always been like that for the PB just most refs don’t pull their hanky’s out that much.
I love football and watch it whenever I can. Nevertheless, the Pro Bowl’s just not a game I’ve watched consistently. Perhaps it’s because it resembles a popularity contest primarily and the true stars can never get in a groove because they have to give the reserves significant reps in order to be fair. Thankfully, NFL Network broadcasts plenty of good replays in the offseason and before I know it, August training camps will be here again!
I love the Broncos from afar (distance not intensity). I am a huge fan of the older Broncos and Jason Elam who in my mind is one of the greatest Kickers the NFL has seen. On top of that a class act, wonderful human being, smart and a family man….he exemplifies a Bronco fans idea of athletes to look up to….what I can not understand is why Matt Prater was brought in to the orginization even if he still has to win the starting post when there is a lot more out there to choose from…..a disaster in Atlanta, inconsistent at CFU, released by Miami, Detroit and not successful with other team tryouts…a one sided talent that can kick off like one of the best but misses more field goals than the sub par kickers in the league.
all that aside I saw a recent DUI report on Matt Prater in Orlando that happened a couple of weeks ago and he actually was driving drunk and refused a breathalizer and arrested…his comments to his friends were ….”my dad will get me off”….. is that the kind of behavior of a Bronco….this better not be the beginning of a player with attitude and thinks he has more talent than he does…..My thoughts….keep Jason another year or find some other talent…history of Matt Prater does not bode him well…
I love the Pro Bowl !! Just like anything that pertains to the NFL, the Pro Bowl is a part of history !! Especially with Champ & Lynch playing. If a newspaper says something stinks, that only spurs me on to check it out !! The Pro Bowl is the official end of the NFL season. Now comes the dreary time of no football. I can’t wait for April which will give us the draft and the schedules for next season. 2008 football cards come out in April also. May & June are dedicated to mini camps & free agents. Then comes July and the madness starts all over again. Football is life !!!! Go Broncos !!!!!
Winners get 100K Losers get 20K
Then it will be worth watching.
I think the problem with the Pro-Bowl really lies in the fact that we all know its the last football game of the season, and it sucks cause now you know all that’s left is the whack basketball season (filled with cry babies) which really don’t get interesting until the playoffs and then there’s the marathon baseball season, with its marathon baseball games where the playoffs seem just as long as the regular season….HOCKEY come on its like watching paint dry with no superstars. Then there’s always NASCAR but that’s only cool if your from the south and you wrestle alligators for a living in the bayou, I think the only thing that keeps me sane is the fact I can watch the combine and the NFL draft in the off-season….so yeah the Pro-Bowl is important if your a die-hard football fan like me and my brothers….if your one of those guys that think the Dallas Cowboys are the best and Jerry rice still plays on the 49ers and the Raiders still play in LA than its probably not something your gonna be into. my motto remains…. “if its football i’m watching it….” a Denver Fan amongst the enemy (Oak)