With the recent events of the NFL Pro Bowl Games this past weekend which were accompanied by a major decline in TV ratings, many fans are protesting the seemingly less competitive atmosphere surrounding these games.
The NFL Pro Bowl Games invite a select 88 players to participate if they are voted in by fans, coaches and players. The purpose of the games is for players to have fun to begin the offseason by competing against an all-star team, and to have interactions with the fans watching them all season.
Now, the games are boring and not interesting to watch or pay any attention to. The NFL needs to do away with the current format and the pro bowl all together.
The most recent iteration of the game was flag-football, removing the tackle aspect of the game which players are consistently doing for the entire season. Part of the changes have been because of developments in player safety including the recent research done regarding CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy) injuries caused by head trauma or concussions. However, before the format was changed from a tackle football game, players would avoid contact in general and playing the game full speed because of the risk of injury in a meaningless exhibition game.
Players are already injured and beat up at the end of the year. Making them participate in another game could risk injury or making a lingering injury worse. Even though the game is played slower and there is minimal contact players are still trying to recover from the season they just finished. Due to factors changing how the game is played, fan ratings for the Pro Bowl are down.
Being named a Pro Bowler used to be a big deal and was a major accomplishment but now player replacements and players opting out has made it less valuable. Now players make it that either didn’t deserve it or play well enough in the regular season. A player making the Pro Bowl just because someone else declined isn’t truly deserving.
The Pro Bowl no longer benefits the league in any way. It is not competitive football or engaging to watch and there is no interest. The NFL needs to find new ways to honor its best players because the Pro Bowl is meaningless.
