Word: bowl
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...alone make the case for watching it. This weekend, football fans will be programming their DVRs - most likely to record some other channel - when David Garrard, quarterback for the 7-9 Jacksonville Jaguars, plods onto the field. Contain your excitement if you can: it's time for the Pro Bowl, the NFL's woeful attempt to match the popularity of baseball and basketball's all-star games...
...blame David Garrard. (Although those of us who chose him for our fantasy teams surely will.) Four of the league's élite quarterbacks - Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer and Tom Brady - dropped out, citing injury or, in Manning's case, participation in the Super Bowl on Feb. 7. The result? Garrard's QB sneak, a move that lands him a spot as the AFC's third alternate despite pedestrian numbers and a losing record. (See pictures of Super Bowl entertainment through the ages...
...star game is only as good as the players who play in it, and that is part of why the Pro Bowl is football's forgotten game: players like Garrard end up taking the field year after year. Legendary Minnesota QB Brett Favre? Selected but not playing, blaming an injury. Gecko-gloved Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald? Thanks but no thanks: injured also. While the Pro Bowl managed to sell out Dolphins Stadium, the game usually pulls down mediocre TV ratings; it's the only major all-star game that draws lower ratings than regular-season matchups. What gives...
...didn't always used to be this way. Held annually since 1950 (though there were NFL All-Star Games played from 1939 to '42) and typically played the week after the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl used to be a thing of pride among players (not to mention cause for a sizable bonus back when they still needed the money). But now, in an era of overinflated salaries, players treat the game as a chore rather than an honor. The game was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 1950 to '72. It was then held at various stadiums...
...pictures of the New York Giants winning Super Bowl XLII...