The Pro Bowl game is no more.
The NFL is planning to eliminate the annual all-star game but still plans to honour players with a Pro Bowl designation, according to Jonathan Jones of The Athletic.
According to Jones, NFL executives presented the new plan to team owners on Wednesday. Eighty-eight players will be selected for Pro Bowl honours at the end of the season, with no alternates. Instead of a game, the selected players will be honoured during an event during Super Bowl week.
Jones added that a player survey contributed to the decision.
“All-star games, I think, for all leagues have been fraught for a long time, and they haven’t necessarily represented the very best premium of that sport for those players,” Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business, international and league events, told The Athletic. “I think all leagues have struggled with that. 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.
“But ultimately, the Pro Bowl, at its core, is about honouring the best of the best in that season, on the field, in real games. 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 honour.”
The Pro Bowl has existed in different forms since 1951.