The least watchable all-star game in professional sports is no more. The NFL’s Pro Bowl won’t be held in 2023.
The lowest-effort football game this side of MTV’s scuttled Rock-n-Jock series has been phased out of the league’s lineup. The glorified touch football showcase that has recently featured stars such as Mac Jones, Evan Engram, Tyrod Taylor and so, so much Kirk Cousins is being replaced. Instead, the NFL will opt for a week — hold up a FULL WEEK?!? — of skills competitions that will prove which disinterested players are the best at, say, throwing footballs through tires or running obstacle courses.
The crown jewel of the festivities will be a flag football game sure to be watched by tens of hundreds of people.
BREAKING: The NFL is replacing the Pro Bowl with weeklong skills competitions and a flag football game, the AP's @robmaaddi has learned.
The new event will replace the full-contact showcase started in 1951 and will be renamed "The Pro Bowl Games."https://t.co/FjZGYZlHA0
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) September 26, 2022
It’s a move that makes sense, as few people — including those actually on the field — seemed to care about the Pro Bowl. And while I contend my plan to fix the game, which involved randomizing positions and a 300-pound weight minimum for quarterbacks, was better this could still be fun. That is, if the NFL gets the skill competitions right.
Here’s what I’ve got in mind.