The Greatest Generation and the Pro Bowl

Like a buoy on the water, people rise and fall as per the needs of the moment.

Humans are amazing at how much we can get done when we need to. Deadline approaching? Working around the clock without breaks except for food and bathroom. Early flight? Out of bed before 4 AM and on the way to the airport shortly thereafter. On the other end of the spectrum, when there is no great need or pressure, one might sleep until noon or lollygag around the house and accomplish nothing. That is called normal.

Let’s imagine a young man who was sent to Europe during World War II and came home in late 1945. He was taken away from whatever he was doing — school, work, family — and sent far away. When he hit the beaches of Normandy, he saw friends killed in the most hideous ways. The war did not end for him there. He continued to fight his way to Paris and beyond. Nearly a year would pass before Hitler’s suicide and the official fall of the Third Reich. Along the way, he saw a lot of death, including of those close to him from basic training until they died in combat or the freezing winter. He saw massive destruction of cities and malnutrition on an industrial scale. He tried to give chocolate or a few cigarettes to civilians he encountered but understood that the destruction and devastation were beyond anything imaginable. After returning home, he somehow went back to his previous life and adapted to a new world of American power that included manufacturing, new cities, lots of babies, cars, modern appliances, early air travel and more.

Those of that time are often — and correctly — called “The Greatest Generation.” One can argue that they had no choice in all that I described above. If they had refused to go, they would have been thrown in jail. If they had acted cowardly on the battlefield, they could have been shot by an officer. All that is true. But in the end, under conditions of hardship, they fought a distant war to prevent fascism from taking root. Hitler wanted to cut a deal with Churchill. The Atlantic coast was enough for him for the time-being and hoped that Churchill would recognize German conquest and thus accept Nazi Germany as the sole European power. The Blitz Lufwaffe attacks and the planned and then aborted Operation Sea Lion for conquering Britain only came about when Churchill refused to accept the “reality” of Hitler controlling nearly all of continental Europe. Hitler knew that the U.S. could not attack his forces without England as its staging base. He thus wanted to negotiate Britain out of such a position or take it by force if needed. He failed on both scores and then turned his attention to the East.

It’s always an impossible task to compare generations or individuals from different times. Michael Jordan versus Wilt Chamberlain? On the one hand, it makes no sense as they played at different times and “basketball” in each generation was not played in the same way. I would never denigrate our current generation of youth. We see brave young men and women answering America’s call and taking the fight to her enemies. Still, it’s hard to fathom the millions sent by boat to fight in Europe and in the Pacific and their success in crushing both Germany and Japan and securing a victory that we still enjoy today. I get some goosebumps whenever I fly through a German airport. Imagine the Nazis winning and Frankfurt Airport decked with swastika flags, and obviously I would not be going through the terminals there. When we actually went out to visit my parents’ old towns, the fellow at passport control smiled and said, “I see that you have some connection to our country!” He obviously knew that my folks had been born there and fled. He probably also knew what I had eaten on the flight from from the U.S. but did not let on. The Greatest Generation not only saved the U.S. and the world from fascism but ultimately built up much of our modern society: air travel, nuclear power, electrification, advanced mass production, and much more. They are leaving us but have left behind for us the wealthiest society ever created.

With the above in mind, let’s pivot to the NFL Pro Bowl. The “Pro Bowl” started in that post-war period, the fist game being played in 1951. It apparently is finished. One can track its trajectory from being a serious game to a pathetic display of football to flag football and finally to the dustbin. On the one hand, I can understand athletes and their teams dreading injuries. There are enough cases — look at Ray Fosse a la Pete Rose in the MLB All-Star Game — of top players being injured. In the old days, players made money like the guy who delivered milk. The game was everything, and anyone who didn’t play it 100% or more was considered a lout. Today, with millions on the line, the game is a business. And a wise business decision might involve choosing not to play. Playing and getting injured may make one unemployed with tens of millions of dollars left on the table.

Elon Musk is in some ways a throwback to that earlier generation. He could have taken his billions from any one of his companies, declared victory, and just retired to a set of islands that he could purchase with ease. But he keeps risking his money and his name in order to make a better world: DOGE to make America stronger financially and Space-X to expand the scope of human activity. I once saw an article in Forbes in which one of their reporters sat with some currency traders. They made a bet on the Euro and within a short time made $100 million. He asked those present why they don’t simply take the dough and call it a day. “If you think that way, you can’t be in this business.” The war in Europe was not clean. The U.S lost lots of troops and while not losing any major battles at times got stuck against tough German resistance. But U.S. forces persevered. The Army Air Force lost over 4,700 B-17 bombers, with 50,000 fliers killed or missing. Thousands more were wounded or taken prisoner. If the U.S. lost 100 soldiers in a battle today, Congress would be demanding an immediate egress from battle.

The NFL eliminating the Pro Bowl comes with a side order of stupidity: they will still name the players who would have been honored to play. It’s the ultimate participation trophy. The value of being in the Pro Bowl when it was somewhat serious was to show how good a quarterback was when being blitzed by the best linebacker in the league. Can that amazing running back get through a defensive line of champions? We’ll never know. Again, I understand the issues, and the NBA has also had to change its All-Star format for the same reason. The change from competitors making a living to multimillionaires relying on their skills was almost undetectable, but now we see the truth: Sports, Inc. is big business and we should not expect top competition if the financial risk is unacceptable.

I once read the story of a Bears offensive lineman. After Sunday’s game, he could not get out of bed until Tuesday. Football is a brutal game, no question. Nobody is obligated to have play in a Pro Bowl. But its demise is one more sign that we are moving away from the smash-mouth roots of the modern NFL. George Halas is probably rolling over in his grave. His generation played with no helmets!

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