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The Pro Bowl is considered the red-headed stepchild of the all-star showcases in North American professional sports, and various reasons can be attributed to it.
While being named to one is one of the biggest achievements a player can have, it has usually never had the same appeal as the NBA, MLB, and NHL All-Star Games. But why is that so?
Here are some reasons behind the decline and current horrendous state of the Pro Bowl.
1) Timing
The NBA, MLB, and NHL All-Star games all share one common thing: they are held in the middle of their respective seasons. This means that by the time the event looms, fans are still invested in the action.
And then there is the Pro Bowl. Since football is by nature a physically more demanding sport, especially with the risk of concussions, it has been held at the end of the season. Until 2009, this meant the week after the Super Bowl; then from 2010 onwards, it was moved to the week before. But that change created another problem...
2) Lack of star power
To increase interest in the Pro Bowl, the NFL announced in 2009 that it would move the season's edition to the week after the Super Bowl. While this was meant to increase fan interest, it ended up limiting the number and quality of participating players.
First and most notably, nominees from the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints could not participate lest they suffer serious injuries before Super Bowl XLIV. This included the likes of star quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.
But the most recent indictment of this notion came in the 2022-23 edition. With Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs busy with Super Bowl LVII, Josh Allen injured, and Joe Burrow choosing to skip, the AFC was forced to find alternatives - and one of them ended up being Tyler Huntley, the Baltimore Ravens' backup QB. It was met with much derision.
3) Uninteresting format
Speaking of the 2023 Pro Bowl, its new format represented the latest attempt at revitalizing the event.
Before then, the Pro Bowl was a regular tackle football game that nominally pitted the AFC's best against the NFC's best. But in 2013, that changed.
Conferences were eliminated, and instead, a pair of legends would be chosen to draft the rosters. It lasted just three seasons before the old format returned.
Then from 2022-23 onwards, the NFL decided to hire Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions to revamp the event again. What transpired can be generously described as a rather lackluster attempt to emulate the NBA's All-Star Weekend.
The Pro Bowl Games, as they are called, feature golf, dodgeball, and flag football among others, putting less emphasis on the physical aspect of the sport. So far, however, fan reception has been at best mixed, with some calling it a cash grab.
