5 ways the NFL could make the Pro Bowl more enjoyable for fans 

Fireworks on New Year's Eve at NASCAR LA Coliseum Previews

#3 – Host the event on New Year's Eve

This is a change that could reinvent the Pro Bowl, although it would require a change in the calendar. In most other sports, the All-Star festivities cause a break in regular scheduling and are a standalone event.

If you move to an annual event on New Year's Eve, you could create the annual party that fans want to be at—rather like the NFL Draft.

It's not impeding a major holiday like Christmas or Thanksgiving, both of which have a history of hosting sporting fixtures. However, people are generally off work and looking for something to do.

It's mid-season, so players are more likely to be healthy, and they won't want to risk sharpness being blunted by playing at 50% effort levels.

The NFL International Series match between Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in 2018 in London, England

#4 – Make the Pro Bowl an international event

The NFL has done an incredible job of marketing the sport to a worldwide audience over the last two decades, and international series games have followed and been tremendously successful.

The Pro Bowl could well be moved to be an international affair to ensure attendances remain high.

Even though players will have to travel more, you can virtually guarantee that fans in other countries will flock to the Pro Bowl to see stars they wouldn't usually get the chance to, especially if ticket prices are lower than an international series game.

There are no losers in this scenario—other than maybe the players. Fans don't lose any more season ticket games, and the NFL continues to spread internationally.

It could also open a window for other countries to become involved. We've got the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Germany hosting regular-season matches in 2022, but moving the Pro Bowl around internationally could perhaps test the market for new venues.

NFC Championship - Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Green Bay Packers

#5 – Play 5-minute quarters with different scoring structure

This final suggestion for changes to the Pro Bowl puts entertainment first.

Again, it's about making a product that feels unique and doesn't merely do a poor job of replicating a regular-season game.

Lower ticket prices, shorten the game to five-minute quarters and have a different scoring structure.

There would be no punting, no kicking, you have four plays to score a touchdown, and if you fail, the opposing team just gets the ball at their endzone.

The aim is to score as fast as possible and throw as many big plays as they like, and it would also limit the work in the trenches, reducing the chances of injury for offensive/defensive linemen and running backs.

Have points available for one-handed interceptions, passes for over 75 yards, and just a few tweaks to make the spectacle unique and give fans something to enjoy.

You can't offer to pay fans an authentic NFL experience with the Pro Bowl when the players are only giving 50 percent, nor can you expect the players to provide more than that in a glorified exhibition.

However, if you put on a different show, keep essential elements of football, and provide fans with great excitement, you will keep crowds high, and the players will relish it, too.

The Pro Bowl doesn't have to die in 2022, it simply needs rejuvenating to fit into the world we live in right now, and this is far easier than the NFL would believe. The time for change is now.