NFL is finally admitting that its current Pro Bowl format doesn’t work. According to multiple reports, the league is preparing to make some significant changes to the annual festivity, and one of them might be eliminating the Pro Bowl game altogether.
On Tuesday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed the news and said the league is considering alternative ways to “celebrate our players.”
“I think the conclusion [of discussions] was that the game itself doesn’t work,” Goodell said. “And we need to find another way to celebrate our players.”
Pro Bowl games have been around since 1938, but their popularity has been on the decline for some time now. The major issue is that the players rightfully don’t want to risk getting injured during an exhibition, so the level of competitiveness becomes non-existent.
However, some other events that take place during the Pro Bowl weekend, like dodgeball and QB challenge, have been quite successful, and there is a chance they might be around in the future.
“We’ve talked about some of the events around the Pro Bowl are really, extremely popular, whether the quarterback challenge or some of the other events,” Goodell added. “So those are some of the things we will continue to discuss.”
The league is being tightlipped about its plans for now but is reportedly expected to make the final decision at some point in the summer.
