Ian MacDonald — Staff writer

One of the staples in the Superbowl era of the NFL is the Pro Bowl, where fans vote on the best performing athletes around the league and bring them to Las Vegas to play a game.

The two teams that play in the Pro Bowl are the American Football Conference (AFC) and National Football Conference (NFC). Selected athletes play in the Pro Bowl play for the team of their conference. For example, the Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl players would play for the NFC team because that’s what conference the Vikings play in. 

There is a lot of history and iconic moments that happen in the Pro Bowl. However, it has regressed so much in recent years that it can’t keep the average sports fan entertained. 

A reason many watch the Pro Bowl is to see some of their favorite stars from around the league team up and play other huge stars. Not everyone’s favorite player plays in the game, however, and one of these stars who opted out of the Pro Bowl this year was Joe Burrow. 

There are also a lot of stars who don’t get in or are even considered for the Pro Bowl. This is due to how the voting system is set up.

The way Pro Bowl voting works is that the league releases a list of several players who have performed the best that season by position. In 2022, Pro Bowl voting opened on Nov. 15 and closed on Dec. 15. 

The issue with this type of selection is that it’s essentially a popularity contest, so players could not be selected just because they aren’t as well known. Another issue is that the fans should not be the ones considering who is ‘good enough’ to go to the Pro Bowl and receive the accolade.

Lamar Jackson, who despite that he was playing some of his best football through a knee injury, was out picked by his backup Tyler Huntley on the Ravens this year. Just because he missed six games, Jackson was not considered for a spot in the Pro Bowl.

Another reason fans are losing interest is a lack of an actual game. What comes to mind is the lack of tackling. Now, there is not rule specifically saying players can’t hit each other, but it’s essentially an unwritten rule between stars to avoid injuries.

Because of this, there is a lot less effort and a lot less enjoyment in the game. This unwritten rule has gotten so out of hand that they are doing flag football instead of a traditional football game in 2023.

Despite all of this, ratings have never been better. According to frontofficesports.com, the 2022 Pro Bowl still averages 6.7 million viewers. This is more than the Stanley Cup, which averaged 4.6 million, the NBA All-star game with 6.3 million, and only trailed to the MLB All-Star game.

The league is changing, with players only caring for money and viewership, showing little passion for the actual sport.

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