As always, this weekend will provide plenty of entertainment for sports fans. The college basketball season continues to heat up during conference play, while the NBA and NHL have nearly reached the midpoint of their respective seasons. But without taking anything away from these events, this weekend will still likely be remembered as the weekend before the Super Bowl."" The traditional one-week break between the Conference Championships and Super Bowl is a format that desperately needs a change.
For more than four decades the Super Bowl has become not only a major fixture in American sports, but in American society as a whole. The game's TV ratings are consistently the highest of the year, meaning everything that goes along with the game - the betting, the advertisements, the halftime performances and the media coverage - are magnified significantly.
With all these parameters, it's understandable why the NFL and TV executives would like to take a weekend off to promote the big event to its full potential and create even more suspense leading up to the game. However, the consequences of this format have also created a series of problems, especially in catering to the league's large fan base.
The NFL completely stops the building momentum of its playoff system, only to make fans wait longer and drag out a game that could just as easily be played the following week. This makes the amount of media coverage over this two week-period almost unbearable. General game predictions heat up right after the AFC and NFC championship games, and though it's necessary for analysts to break down the matchup, the unpredictability of past Super Bowls has shown that it would be unwise to take any prediction too seriously.
Furthermore, players and coaches receive an unimaginable amount of coverage for their activity off the field. I don't know about you, but I'm not very interested in where Larry Fitzgerald got his hair cut or where Ben Roethlisberger went out to dinner. Can you just keep your focus on the game at hand?
Also, the current format has the Super Bowl proceeded the following week by the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. It's a privilege to watch the NFL's best competing on the same field, but the timing of the game creates an extremely anticlimactic end to the season.
Late last December the NFL announced some new changes for next season. The 2010 Super Bowl and Pro Bowl will both be held at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. The Pro Bowl will be played the week before the Super Bowl. Those selected from the AFC or NFC Championship teams will not participate in the Pro Bowl.
This change will be instilled on a one-year test basis, and was also conducted because of questions about the current economy and lack of tourism in Hawaii. Research suggests that every year about 25,000 people come from out of state to attend the Pro Bowl, making this a fairly easy decision. But either way, I think the league would benefit from keeping this format long after the 2010 season.
Although the extra week may still drive some people crazy, the new timing of the Pro Bowl could create an excellent distraction for NFL fans looking for some type of entertainment leading up to the big game. It will make the city of Miami the focal point of the league for a long period and could allow for excellent promotional opportunities during this time. During the week off, the NFL can take the time to celebrate not just the success of its Super Bowl teams, but achievements from around the league.
The fact that participants in the Super Bowl can no longer suit up for the Pro Bowl emphasizes team play and winning a championship over individual achievement. This sets a good example for future players and creates a greater sense of responsibility.
This weekend, the country will once again be teased by a brief vacation en route to the Super Bowl. But if next year's experiment proves successful and ultimately continues, at least the NFL can give its fans a much more enjoyable end-of-year experience.
Does a week without the NFL drive you crazy? Let Matt know by e-mailing him at mfox2@wisc.edu.
