The NFL has hosted and televised a Pro Bowl game in 71 of the last 72 years. After record-low attendance and television numbers in 2022, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is looking to make a change.
“The game doesn’t work. We need to find another way to celebrate the players,” Goodell said to reporters at the league’s annual meetings on Tuesday. “We may have to think about it differently. If it’s not quality, we have to do something different.”
Despite the one or two viral moments that come from the game each year, it’s hard to argue with Goodell’s statement. Many star players pass up the opportunity to play in the annual All-Star game every year, or, when they do participate, they turn the game into something that barely resembles football.
In recent seasons the league has re-introduced skills challenges that players compete in with and against each other in the days prior to the game. Former players have also reached out to share their thoughts on how to make the event more palatable for fans.
