Olin Kreutz was a gamer, one of the toughest of the tough and strongest of the strong in the NFL.

And, if you go by the number of Pro Bowls to which he was named (six), the Bears center who finished up with the Saints and retired in 2011 is undoubtedly the greatest pro football player to come from Hawaii.

So it’s interesting when he suggests thinking of the NFL’s all-star game as an event rather than a competition. If the fans and owners can embrace it that way — as the players already have — it will survive, maybe even thrive.

“It’s a celebration, not a football game,” Kreutz said Tuesday after participating in a panel discussion of the Pro Bowl and its future in Hawaii. “No one’s going to go out there and try to kill each other. … You can’t fake football, and guys’ careers can end in one play.

“The NFL doesn’t want Peyton Manning sacked and end his career in the Pro Bowl.”

Last January the players put on a better show than in previous years. But unless you still believe in pro wrestling, Santa Claus and Ryan Braun, you know the Pro Bowl isn’t real football.

That doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it. Other events in the week leading up the game where fans have some access to the players can make up for the lack of intensity on game day.

“You have to sell it for what it is,” Kreutz said. “Celebrate the guys who made money for the owners all year.”

And that is also why Kreutz believes the game should remain in Hawaii (not just because he’s from here).

“Hawaii sells itself. … The players always talk about how nice everyone is. People come to a complete stop on the freeway and let you in,” he said. “I don’t know the economics, I just know the players like to be here.”

The entity that does count the money, the NFL, is considering moving the Pro Bowl from Hawaii again after the 2014 game. It was in Miami in 2011.

“That was not received by the players, at all,” said Frank Vuono, a former NFL exec and marketing consultant who was also on Tuesday’s panel.

Where the Pro Bowl is held is just one issue, the one we tend to fixate on because we live here, and the one most important to David Uchiyama, the third member of the panel. The Hawaii Tourism Authority vice president is tasked with negotiating with the NFL.

Uchiyama said the Pro Bowl brings in 18,000 tourists per year, bringing $20 million into Hawaii’s economy.

But Pro Bowl attendance has declined in recent years.

Don Murphy of Murphy’s Bar & Grill used to rent six buses to meet demand for Pro Bowl attendees starting the day at his restaurant. But he only needed two buses last year and won’t hire any in 2014.

“The biggest complaint is the stars aren’t here,” Murphy said. “The Super Bowl players.”

Yes, when the Pro Bowl is held is nearly as important as where — a good chunk of the star power is gone since it was moved to the week after the league championships and before the Super Bowl.

“You’ve got to have the Super Bowl champs. It’s about celebrating the players,” Kreutz said.

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Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783.