Viva Murillo!

You’ve seen the paid athlete vacation known as the Pro Bowl. Now we get to watch the real Pro Bowl.

I’ve always thought the old NFL schedule, that featured the Pro Bowl after the Super Bowl, was anti-climactic. It was in the wrong order, like having the Rolling Stones open for the Black Crowes. No matter how much you enjoy the Black Crowes, they shouldn’t be last on that bill. And the Pro Bowl isn’t “super” enough to follow the most important game of the year.

To me, the Super Bowl is the real Pro Bowl. It’s the highlight of every professional’s career. It features the best the league has to offer. Maybe not always the very best players, but the best teams, and football is a team sport. I think it’s the one game where the millionaires don’t worry about the money. They want the ring. Maybe they want to validate their careers or cement their place in history. Maybe they want to lift their city or prove previous successes weren’t a fluke. Or maybe they just want to be able to say they won a Super Bowl and have that jewelry to show off when they get older. Whatever the reason, it’s not about contracts, holdouts, extensions or anything business-related. It’s about the game.

I’m always the first to say that fantasy football isn’t like real football, but in this case we might have a tiny idea what that’s like. You remember week 16, when only two teams remain in your favorite fantasy league? Are you thinking about the league’s payout? Are you thinking about dynasty prospects, or about your league’s rookie draft? No, you’re thinking about winning that last game. I know plenty of owners who would rather have the title than the money. In many leagues, the money is a small part of the game, anyway. It’s about the camaraderie and the fun of playing. And what better way to cap off a season than to claim the championship? You might not get a ring (although these days, maybe you do) but you get a permanent license to trash-talk.

In the NFL, it isn’t about the $40,000 or so difference in what the winners and losers make. If the difference in your league between the champion and runner-up is $100, are you worried about the money? Or are you thinking about the title and finishing ahead of everyone else?

Remember the end of the last Super Bowl? Larry Fitzgerald didn’t run for a contract extension when he scored. He wanted a ring. Santonio Holmes didn’t catch that touchdown to pad his stats or get a few extra dollars for the winner’s share. He wanted to win the Super Bowl. That’s what this game brings to the table: The true competitive spirit of players who just want to win. Everything else – the money, the agents, the business side of the game – all goes away for the guys on the field. They aren’t thinking about next week or resting for the playoffs. This is the playoffs. They’re giving everything they have for a shot at winning the biggest game of the year.

To me, this is the real Pro Bowl. Whether a team you support is there or not, enjoy it.

You can reach Michael Murillo at vivamurillo@gmail.com.

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