The NFL is pulling the plug on its long-standing Pro Bowl game, league officials told Jonathan Jones of The Athletic. Players will still receive recognition for Pro Bowl honors, but there will no longer be any game in any format. The league has produced at least some form of the Pro Bowl game every year since 1951.
For years, there's been criticism of the game revolving around a lack of competition, lack of entertainment and lack of true star talent. After testing many different formats, the NFL is finally ending the game all together. Teams were informed of the Pro Bowl game cancellation during league meetings in Atlanta on Wednesday.
We made the switch four years ago from the ‘tackle’ Pro Bowl to the flag game, and that was more strategic for us. In many ways, we saw a decrease in the replacement players. And the shift here is about shifting the focus from the game — which is ultimately where people’s attention goes, especially the replacement players tied to it — to the honor.” Instead of a Pro Bowl game, select players will be invited to celebrate their honors at an in-person event in Los Angeles.
The process for selecting Pro Bowl honorees will remain unchanged.
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