According to the Associated Press on Monday, the National Football League will be replacing the Pro Bowl with a flag football game and a week of skills competitions. The attempt here is to generate interest in the all-star festivities, something even yours truly has not cared about in over a decade.
The game will be shown on ABC and ESPN in the United States on Sunday, February 5. The timing of the game continues to be an issue, as it is one week before the Super Bowl, which means that the participants in the biggest game of the season, will not be taking part.
There have been genuine concerns over the years that the NFL has not done enough to captivate fans. This year, fans will have a chance to vote on players.
The game will still take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. This will be the second straight year the game will be played in Las Vegas. Last year, the AFC won 41-35 as Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was named the game’s most valuable player. The AFC has won the last five Pro Bowls dating back to 2016. The 2021 Pro Bowl was cancelled because of coronavirus. That was the first time since 195o that there was no Pro Bowl.
One seriously needs to question if the Pro Bowl should even exist at all when there is no tackling involved. It will also be interesting to see if all of the players who participate in the contest, escape the event injury free.
