Welcome to The Pro Bowl Games

The NFL announced on September 27th that the annual Pro Bowl and its festivities will be replaced with a new Pro Bowl Games starting this season. For most fans, this news is long overdue as scrutiny over the lack of excitement and intensity of the game has grown throughout the years. There have been several changes to the Pro Bowl format to gain more following; however, viewership is still declining. This is NFL's latest of attempts to try to bring more fan engagement and to hopefully revive the leagues "all-star weekend." 

A Brief History

The first formal Pro Bowl was held in January of 1951. The game brought together the most outstanding players from each conference (AFC and NFC) to compete in an all-star game. For two decades, it was held in Los Angeles.

In 1980, it was moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. In Hawaii, it gained popular demand by the players and fans for an opportunity to take a trip to the island. It was held in Hawaii until 2009, when it got moved back to the mainland.

To engage fanbases, the NFL typically held events all week during "Pro Bowl Week." This was an opportunity for fans to meet and engage with the players and coaches as well as participate in various activities. Activities were also held for the players such as The Skills Showdown.

Doomed From the Start

The Pro Bowl started quickly losing interest from the fans due to its relaxed tone. Not much time was spent by the players or coaches in prepping and the game itself was very casual. Players were less rough on each other and tended to slow down to prevent any unwanted injury for a game that was essentially meaningless to them. 

This relaxed tone quickly turned into a snooze-fest for fans as it pretty much became two-hand touch football. Below is a video from a recent Pro Bowl. Notice the lack of effort by the players and the unwillingness to tackle. It is this new format that has quickly lost the interest of the fans.

Players also began to express their criticisms of the game. Quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, has verbally stated his disappointment in the lack of effort by the players. This opinion is widely reflected upon other players as well.

Pro Bowl Games: A New Era

The recent change by the NFL to address this lack of interest is the Pro Bowl Games. The Pro Bowl Games will completely replace the old Pro Bowl in an entirely new format: flag football. By moving to flag football, the NFL hopes to allow players to go back to competing at a high level with a lower risk for injury.

The Skills Challenge will also make a return to allow players to show off their abilities in a friendly competition. Some examples of these challenges in the past have been an accuracy competition by the quarterbacks and catching drills for the wide receivers. These challenges will occur over several days leading up to the flag football game.


Will this, though, revamp the Pro Bowl and bring back more fan engagement? Only time will tell on this one. The NFL has attempted many different variations of the Pro Bowl to bring its popularity back, but none have been successful. The change to flag football seems to be receiving positive feedback, but until we see it in action, this could end up being another boring exhibition that fails to garner the attention of the fans. 
 




 

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