NFL’s Pro Bowl format requires innovation

NFL’s Pro Bowl format requires innovation

The NFL Pro Bowl is on the decline. The game posted its lowest ever ratings according to Sports Business Daily, and anyone who watched would agree that the players who actually agreed to play were not putting forth any kind of real effort. This year’s Pro Bowl, which took place on January 31, posted a rating of 5.0. Last year’s rating? 5.6. The year before that? 6.7. Obviously, interest in the game has declined significantly in recent years. The lack of interest can also be seen among players. Of all the quarterbacks actually selected to the game, only one attended. Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger all were selected and chose not to attend. The only quarterback who was actually voted into the Pro Bowl and did attend was Russell Wilson, who ended up throwing three touchdowns and winning MVP honors. When only one quarterback out of five actually attend, the lack of interest cannot be denied.

Conversely, ratings for the NHL and NBA All-Star games have steadily increased in recent years, so the NFL’s Pro Bowl woes are an isolated problem. Therefore, in order to improve the Pro Bowl, the NFL should take a page from the NBA’s book. Either in addition to the actual Pro Bowl game, or in replacement of the actual Pro Bowl game, the NFL should include a skills weekend similar to the draft combine. The fastest player could be determined by the forty yard dash test, the strongest player could be determined by the 225 bench press test and players could compete against each other throughout multiple agility drills. Receivers could challenge defensive backs to 1v1 pass-catching challenges, and the best offensive lineman could go up against the league’s top defensive ends in 1v1 pass block and run block challenges. NFL fans would love to see players compete in a more personal, one on one setting. A pass catching challenge between Richard Sherman and AJ Green, or Odell Beckham Jr. and Patrick Peterson would be much more interesting event to watch than a Pro Bowl game where it is apparent that the players that actually decided to show up are putting forth very little effort. The NBA includes both a skills weekend with a dunk contest, a three point contest, and even a celebrity game, alongside the actual All-Star game. If the NFL chose to follow the same path, their declining ratings would certainly improve significantly.