NFL Pro Bowl needs a drastic change, or else just shut the show down

In case you were wondering, this weekend, the NFL will be hosting its Pro Bowl festivities. Where are they? Honestly, I don't care.

I gave up on the Pro Bowl a long time ago. Probably around the time they stopped doing AFC vs. NFC; however, it looks like that is a thing again.

Is there a way to make the Pro Bowl enticing again? Probably not. You can't blame players for not wanting to take part in a game that means nothing while money continues to grow in contract discussions.

According to Front Office Sports, the ratings for the Pro Bowl have been declining. In 2022, the game garnered 6.7 million viewers; in 2023, it was 5.75 million, and last year, it was 6.2 million.

Those numbers are drastically lower than the 17.5 million the league averages for a regular season game.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Is it just time to retire the entire thing? Even the Pro Bowl selections don't have the same meaning that it felt like they once had.

So many players opt out of the weekend, which has always happened, but it feels like players who shouldn't even be in the Pro Bowl conversation are getting the honor due to opt-outs.

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I consider myself the old man who yells at the clouds type of fan. The only all-star game that matters at all is in the MLB.

However, if leagues like the NFL want to continue a tradition like the Pro Bowl, it needs to drastically change.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

What does that change entail? For starters, the league has to find ways to make the players care about being nominated.

Also, sandwiching it between the conference championships and the Super Bowl is not the ideal way to get everyone involved.

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