The NFL’s All-Star Game, the Pro Bowl, will be played on Sunday, but not many people are excited to view this game. The NFL is the number one sport to watch on television. This game is basically a scrimmage. Players only care during the fourth quarter because members of the winning team receive $40,000. The losing team’s share of the Pro Bowl is $20,000.
The Pro Bowl rules are different than a regular NFL season game. After each touchdown, there aren’t kick off returns. To start the game the ball is placed at the 25-yard line. This happens after each touchdown. This is for player safety. Play clocks at an NFL game are 40 seconds or 25 seconds. In the Pro Bowl, the play clocks are 35 seconds or 25 seconds to speed up the offense.
They have added new rules to the Pro Bowl. Each team will be given two timeouts per quarter rather than three timeouts per half. The goal posts will be narrowed from 18 feet 6 inches wide to 14 feet. This is to try to make extra points and field goals more difficult. The extra points will be similar to preseason where the ball will be placed at the 15-yard line.
These are all good rules to try to enhance the Pro Bowl. In years past, it was the AFC vs. the NFC. The last two years they have had a different format for picking the teams. Two retired players draft the teams. This year it was Chris Carter and Michael Irvin. Last year it was Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders. Selections were live on NFL Network. This seemed to make the game a little more interesting. Teammates playing against teammates. They have attempted to make the game more watchable for fans by letting them hear the play calls on offense.
The NFL is the only All-Star Game without a Skills Competition. Think about it. Major League Baseball has the Home Run Derby. Both the NHL and the NBA have a night for skills competitions. This is the night before the All-Star game. The biggest events in the NBA All-Star Game include the Slam Dunk Contest and the Three Point Contest. They also have a skills challenge where a player is timed to dribble and pass basketballs in a maze. As for the NHL All-Star Skills Challenge, highlights include fastest skater, accuracy shooting, and the hardest shot.
No Skills Competition, detracts from the Pro Bowl. Skills contests stopped after the 2007 Pro Bowl. They had a 40-yard dash run, how accurate quarterbacks were throwing the ball, longest kick, and how much a player could bench press. They also had a maze for wide receivers and running backs to run through to see who could do it the fastest.
For the NFL to make the Pro Bowl more appealing watch on television, bring back the Skills Challenge. This could be the Saturday before the game at the stadium. People might tune in more to see which quarterback has the most accurate arm, the punter who can punt the ball the furthest, and how far can a kicker kick a field goal.
How can the NFL make the Pro Bowl more interesting?
I read that next years pro bowl
will be back in Hawaii. It would be good if they went back to the AFC vs the NFC in my opinion
I think the fantasy draft makes the game more exciting with teammates vs teammates. The NHL does the same thing. The thing is with the Pro Bowl changing the rules it’s not a game.