The Pro Bowl used to be fun. It’s now by far the worst of the major All-Star exhibitions in North American sports. It seems as if the NFL could be gearing up to put the Pro Bowl out to pasture once and for all… or at least the actual game.
Per ESPN:
The league has spoken to players and NFL teams and is now exploring alternatives to the weeklong Pro Bowl celebration, which could include the elimination of the traditional tackle game, the source said.
No vote is needed to approve a change. The NFL, while exploring this with players and television partners, hopes to have a decision this summer.
This may sound familiar, and that’s because it is. Let’s go back to around this time in 2012:
Many players who will be selected during this week’s NFL draft are regarded as future Pro Bowl selections, but the game itself likely will be suspended this season and beyond, according to league sources.
Beyond 2013, another league source believes the Pro Bowl is “DOA (dead on arrival).”
Obviously, the Pro Bowl is still here but it’s on its last legs. The skills competition — itself pretty damn lame and pre-packaged in ways NBA and NHL and MLS All-Star competitions are not — is a thing. We don’t have to rehash what a watered down product the Pro Bowl is, how the top players usually back out over injury concerns/not giving a damn, and of course the Pro Bowl is now before the Super Bowl and usually a lot of Pro Bowl players come from eventual Super Bowl teams.
Putting the game itself in the graveyard is something I suspect many people won’t lose sleep over.