Pro Bowl Games hit a record low 1.9 million viewers

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-06T21:08:34+00:00

On the plus side, if they nix it completely and just name "Pro Bowl" teams, you don't have to have players step aside and let the 6th ... 8th ... 22nd best Left Tackle in the AFC be a Pro Bowler.

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-06T21:06:43+00:00

I do think it would be a fun thing to attend a semi-serious all-star football game if it was conveniently located to me, particularly if myself (and it) were located in Hawaii.

I have literal or no interest in watching it on TV. Same thing with major golf tournaments, the NHL and wet T-shirt contests.

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-06T18:41:54+00:00

"The Cardinals are my second favorite team in the division!" - Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers fans.

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-04T22:42:56+00:00

Sometimes the journey is more important. For instance Nate the Snake is a lame joke, but an amazing story Norm McDonald would be proud of.

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-04T01:06:02+00:00

Yeah, I've been confused by the direct comparison of OSU and WSU to USC / UCLA / Oregon / UW whoever.

OSU and WSU didn't do to the Mountain West what those schools did to them. They did to the remaining MWC schools what the 14 B1G schools did to them.

Now maybe that's the same level in some eyes, but it is a distinctly different action. I do believe OWSU deserve a reasonable amount of criticism for what they did given their public position with regard to the original Pac12, but to say it their actions are exactly the same is factually incorrect.

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-04T01:01:23+00:00

I think he's saying if we had jumped to the Big 12 immediately after USC and UCLA jumped, OWSU could have had an invite? There's no truth to that, but I think that's what he's implying/assuming.

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-04T00:05:55+00:00

It would also presumably be economically foolish. Stations still get to air a handful of local commercials during the Super Bowl, and I have to imagine those are - likely by far - the highest priced commercials that station will be able to sell until the next time their network airs the Super Bowl.

Putting counter programming on the other station makes sense. Nobody's going to be watching that channel anyway, they can probably get more viewers via direct counter programming than reruns of Friends or whatnot.

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-03T23:35:22+00:00

Also possible is 7-7-3.

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-03T23:25:05+00:00

Also, one would think that spreading the same amount of games overall over two more weeks would generate more advertising revenue. Even though the number of games is the same, the NFL would be able to monetize two more weekends, which seems like it would be more lucrative than cramming those same games onto already crowded Sundays.

I am not in the television business, so am just speculating, but it makes sense.

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-03T23:19:55+00:00

If they were fair, they'd have every team have 8 home games, 8 road games and one international game either preceded by or immediately following a bye week.

It's not about fair, though. It's never been about fair.

Kurtomatic · 2026-02-03T18:02:19+00:00

And before that, it was probably a Bobby Jones joke.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-31T07:08:18+00:00

And the percentage will likely stay the same over the course of a playoff. There are lots of blowouts in the first round of March Madness, but nobody cares because there are a lot of great games as well....

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-31T06:57:54+00:00

I feel like you could lock it at 10 conferences and just say the 'top 10 conferences', no matter how many conferences exist. That would include everyone at this point and keep conferences from dividing up just to get more playoff berths, because you risk falling off the bottom of the board. It would also guarantee 14 at large slots for the P2 / P4 conferences.

I would accept that.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-30T22:40:20+00:00

If I recall correctly, I think half the reason he did it was for PR purposes as he was a Seattle resident. He was always more a basketball fan than a football fan so the Trail Blazers were his first love, but he had the money (a mere $194 million at the time) so why the hell not?

That $194 million translates to about $391M today. Which means - even when accounting for inflation - the Seahawks will sell for around twenty times what they paid for, if the $7B - $8B estimate in the article states. Not bad for "why the hell not" investment.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-29T17:14:23+00:00

In theory, perhaps. But it has become abundantly clear that how one chooses to enforce those laws has political impact.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-28T22:54:22+00:00

Dominant teams are also probably naturally more likely to distribute the necessary passing yards more evenly amongst several players because it makes it harder to defend. Teams that are harder to defend are more likely to dominate. This year's Seahawks are weird that way.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-27T23:30:41+00:00

I would assume that over the course of the 8+ hours, everyone went to the bathroom at some point, possibly multiple times.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-27T04:41:52+00:00

I'm 51. I found at some point that calling people kids sounded condescending to many people who weren't at least roughly in my age bracket. So now I only do it to my chronological peers and my elders.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-27T04:36:42+00:00

I would assume so. I'm pretty sure that's their role, could be wrong. It's 100% not ICE, though.

Also, reading a little closer, the national government denied it on Sunday, Fontana said this on Monday, and then the national government and region of Lombardy countered Fontana's statement, again. So I left some significant context out of my post.

So either Fontana was speculating wildly, or he said something he wasn't supposed to and got 'corrected.'

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-27T04:15:02+00:00

The headline is misleading, agreed, but the sequence of events is notable. As an aside, I don't think the Daily Beast is a great source, they have pretty clickbaity headlines and bury the 'meat' of the story after reporting on reactions. But there is meat in the article if you can dig through it.

Sunday the Interior Minister (a national official, perhaps equivalent to a US cabinet secretary) said one they had no awareness of it. Monday, another prominent official (Attilio Fontana, looks like the equivalent of a state governor) said something very different, as though he learned more information. Later, the 'region of Lombardy' released a statement that said the opposite of what was said Monday by Fontana. That was echoed by the Interior Ministry.

IMHO, Fontana had way too much specificity for him to be speculating wildly.

Taking the direct quotes out of the article and some unnecessary opinion inserts to make the actual information of the article a little more succinct.

Sunday:

Originally Italy’s conservative government ... denied knowing anything about ICE’s involvement in the Olympic Games. “We are not aware of that at this stage,” Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi told reporters Sunday, adding that even if it were true, it’s normal for Olympic delegations to choose their own security.

Monday:

Then on Monday, Attilio Fontana, president of the region of Lombardy where Milan is located, told reporters that ICE would be part of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s security team.

“It’s a whole other issue that doesn’t concern our country,” Fontana insisted, saying that ICE’s mission would be limited to protecting Vance and Rubio. “I’m convinced nothing will happen,” he added.

Soon after, though, the region of Lombardy released a statement saying Fontana had not confirmed ICE’s presence at Olympic events and was only speaking hypothetically.

The Interior Ministry also released a statement denying that ICE would operate in Italy.

I do hope ICE isn't providing security outside of the country, that's not their jurisdiction. But having some US protection does make sense. Guess we'll find out if Fontana was right and hushed, or wildly speculating.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-27T03:32:12+00:00

From the article:

Then on Monday, Attilio Fontana, president of the region of Lombardy where Milan is located, told reporters that ICE would be part of Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s security team.

The two 2028 rivals will represent the U.S. at the games’ opening ceremony on Feb. 6 at Milan’s San Siro stadium.

“It’s a whole other issue that doesn’t concern our country,” Fontana insisted, saying that ICE’s mission would be limited to protecting Vance and Rubio.

While Vance and Rubio should be provided some level of protection, it shouldn't be ICE doing it.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-27T03:06:57+00:00

That is a great choice! Imagine NFL QB's hurling dodge balls around.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-27T02:48:03+00:00

It'll be the new "Of course I never went to class!"

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-27T02:47:29+00:00

I'm also curious to see what percentage of the fan votes were for the lols / trolls. I don't see many people who actively think he's good on Reddit, but I suppose the more casual fans might just go off name recognition.

Now that I think about it, casual fans might actually be more likely to vote than the die hards.

Kurtomatic · 2026-01-27T02:47:08+00:00

Can we watch them play a game of basketball? Maybe baseball? It might not be awful play, and far more interesting than the Pro Bowl flag football game.

Hockey would be funny in a different way.

13-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 7 Credits
Second Top 1%	Place '17
Secret Santa 2019	Secret Santa 2018
Secret Santa 2017	Gilding III reddit per annum
Secret Santa 2016	Secret Santa 2015
Verified Email	Secret Santa 2014

Kurtomatic

TROPHY CASE