Earlier in the day, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that the league is discussing ways to improve Pro Bowl week, including possibly eliminating the game altogether in favor of something else.
Now, per Rapoport, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is saying in no uncertain terms that changes are on the way.
The [Pro Bowl] game doesn’t work. We need to find another way to celebrate the players.
The Pro Bowl, while exciting for fans leading up to the game, is largely a dying event.
While an All-Star game in football is noble thing, the game itself just isn’t built to be played half speed.
In years past, the NFL would put up skills competitions for players selected to the Pro Bowl, and even hosted a flag football game on the sands of Oahu, “NFL Street“-style.
But since 2010 or so, the Pro Bowl has been largely irrelevant, especially with many of the game’s best players not even participating due to it being ahead of the Super Bowl.
Lots of ideas have been thrown out into how to improve the experience, but none have stuck just yet.
Hopefully the league is able to find a way to showcase its tremendous athletes in a way that’s fun and matters.