Pro-Bowler or All-Pro

Various contributors both here at MHR and the MSM most often refer to players as Pro-Bowlers.  While I’m not trying to diminish the honor of being selected as a “Pro-Bowl” player I do wonder whether we put more weight on the label than it might deserve.  As you’ll read below until 1996 selection to the Pro-Bowl was based on votes from the coaches and the MSM.  That gave the distinction a little more weight in those days, IMO.

Today one third of the total voting comes from the fans.  Cool we have a voice and I like that.  But, since the fans have a voice I wonder is there isn’t somewhat of a diminishing of the honor, due to the popularity aspect of our human nature.  Curious about what the rest of you think.  Has Pro-Bowl honor diminished with the fans voting?  Also, which label would you rather have, Pro-Bowler or All-Pro?  I've included the Wikipedia defintions and selection methods below.

Pro-Bowler

Currently, players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players themselves, and the fans. Each group's ballots count for one third of the votes. The fans vote online at the NFL's official site. There are also replacements that go to the game should any selected player be unable to play due to injuries. Prior to 1995, only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections.

In order to be considered a Pro Bowler for a given year, a player must either have been one of the initial players selected to the team, or a player who accepts an invitation to Hawaii as an alternate; invited alternates who decline to attend are not considered Pro Bowlers. Being a Pro Bowler is considered to be a mark of honor, and players who are accepted into the Pro Bowl are considered to be elite.

All-Pro

The Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team is an annual selection of the best players in the National Football League (NFL) by position as selected by a national panel of media members of the Associated Press. Unlike selection to the Pro Bowl (all star game), votes are cast for outstanding players by position without consideration for whether the player competes in the American Football Conference (AFC) or National Football Conference (NFC). The Associated NFL All-Pro Team is the longest running selection awards program in existence

The First Team consists of the top one or two players at each position; the Second Team consists of the runners-up at each position. One player is selected at quarterback, fullback, tight end, center, punter, place kicker, and kick returner, while two players are selected at running back, wide receiver, offensive tackle, offensive guard, outside linebacker, inside/middle linebacker, defensive end, defensive tackle, cornerback, and safety.

The Associated Press and its Associated Press NFL All-Pro Team is the "All-Pro team" that is of most note, likely due to the fact that it has been consecutively chosen since the 1940s. The United Press International All-Pro poll began then as well, yet beginning in 1970 UPI began to choose All-Conference teams, that is one each from two conferences in the National Football League, the AFC and NFC. UPI last chose those teams in 1996. The Newspaper Enterprise Association began choosing All-Pro teams in 1954 and they ran though 1996. The Pro Football Writers Association began choosing All-Pros in 1966 and continues today. In the early 1990s they began publishing their All-Pro team in Pro Football Weekly.

Is the case with the press polls, as are mentioned above, they are simply a poll of writers who are asked to select the top players at each position on a football squad. The votes are tallied and were published in the various newspaper syndicates, like the AP, UPI, NEA, etc.