For the first time ever, the National Football League’s   annual Pro Bowl will be played on Jan. 31, the week before the Super Bowl XLIV. And this year, for the first time in 30 years, it will not be held in Hawaii, but in Miami, also the site of this year’s Super Bowl.

This is an utter tragedy for the league and the Pro Bowl game itself as it searches for a bigger fan base to view the match-up between the best of the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference.

Out of the big four sports—baseball, basketball, hockey and football—the Pro Bowl is the only all-star game that is held after the regular season. Compared to the other three sports, it’s usually a struggle to get viewers to watch the game.

The league is trying to use the off week between the NFC and AFC championship games and the Super Bowl as a way to get more viewers. People usually stop watching football after the Super Bowl and completely forget about the Pro Bowl.

Now, since the game is played the week before the Super Bowl, players participating in the Super Bowl cannot play in the Pro Bowl due to the risk of injuries. Therefore, this robs these players the honor and success of going to both the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl.

This decision not only affects the players, but the fans as well. Fans potentially do not get to see some high-caliber players including Peyton Manning and Drew Brees compete in the Pro Bowl because they are competing for the Super Bowl.

This means the league will have to, within one or two days after the NFC and AFC championship weekend, find more than a handful of players willing to play in the Pro Bowl to replace the ones playing in the Super Bowl.

This will affect the actual game plan for the respective teams. The coaches of the Pro Bowl teams used to get at least two weeks to set up a game plan and practice with their players for the game. Now, they get about a week to practice, meaning the game may just turn into a show of skills.

Even more, the players are affected by the change of venue. Because the Pro Bowl was played in Hawaii, it was somewhat of a vacation for them and their families. 

The NFL is never going to get amazing ratings for the Pro Bowl, so instead the league should focus on preserving what the game is actually about.

While the location and date of the game are on a one-year test basis, if the NFL continues with the way things are going this year, we may never get to see the best players competing in a competitive football game again.