As the NBA returns after their annual All-Star Break, the change in the format of the All-Star Game was praised after years of the same old games that lost audience and viewer interest. The NFL should look to the NBA’s revamped All-Star game to model their failing one in order to save and justify the concept of having the Pro Bowl.
The major sport leagues all have a similar All-Star game weekend, including the MLB, also known as the “Midsummer Classic”, NBA, and the NHL, which was canceled this year due to players participating in the Winter Olympics. These All-Star games feature the league’s best players who are voted on and are invited to participate in the All-Star game and events leading up to it. This break in the regularly scheduled games also offers a chance for the rest of the league and players to have a mini break from the grueling schedule. Unlike these major sport leagues that have their All-Star break during the midway point of the season, the NFL hosts the Pro Bowl at the end of the season, during the week before the Super Bowl. While it is understandable that the NFL wants to have some football related entertainment during this gap, the timing cannot be worse when players and teams are wrapping up after a whole season of playing.
Over the last couple of years, many of these All-Star games have become an afterthought for both fans of the game and even players themselves. For example, many of these star players often decline the invitation due to wanting rest, risk of injury for a game that does not matter, or lack of incentives. In response, the NHL last year, and more recently, the NBA, have attempted to change up the format of the game. The NHL established the 4 Nation Faceoff that actually replaced their All-Star Game where four different teams (Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States) made up of NHL players competed in the tournament.
The NBA did something similar to the NHL which has been a welcomed change. In years past, the NBA would divide the voted players into East and West teams based on the player’s team’s conference, whereas this year, players were organized into “two teams of U.S. players and one team of international players (known as the World team)” who all competed in “a round-robin tournament featuring four 12-minute games” according to an NBA press release. This has proven to be beneficial as the 2026 NBA All-Star game had record viewership numbers with an average of 8.8 million views in contrast to only 4.7 million last year with the old format.
These higher stakes for the players and the pride of representing their country increases the participation and excitement for the players, leading to a more competitive All-Star game that fans would want to tune into. The addition of money incentives for the winning team has also encouraged players to not only participate but actually try.
The NFL has attempted to change the format of the Pro Bowl like the other sport leagues have but have found little success and have instead hurt interest. This past Pro Bowl only saw 2 million viewers as it continues to decline every Pro Bowl. Since 2023, the official Pro Bowl game features a flag football game instead of tackle football to decrease injury risk and encourage more players to participate. While safer, it is evident on the field that players are uninspired to try and there are no real reasons for them to. To many fans, including me, the current Pro Bowl is almost unbearable to watch with no real entertainment value worth turning on. Instead of being a highlight and a fun way to celebrate the hard work and talent of players before the Super Bowl wraps up the season, the Pro Bowl is an anticlimactic and disappointing way to showcase the league’s top players in an exhibition game.
There are even those who argue that these All-Star games, especially the Pro Bowl should be canceled altogether instead of trying to fix a broken concept. While it might seem easier to cut, there is a reason why these games were here in the first place. All-Star games give a chance for the league’s brightest stars to be all on the same field or court at the same time and face off to the entertainment of the fans. The success and popularity of the NBA’s new format this year also proves that not all hope is lost for the Pro Bowl.
Unlike the NBA and NHL where there are more international players in the league, the NFL does not necessarily have a large enough international player population to justify following the NBA and NHL’s team format. While unpopular, the NFL should retain the flag football style format, but increase the prize money and incentives for players to make it worth participating and playing to win. Currently, players of the winning team in the Pro Bowl earn $96,000 while those in the NBA earn $125,000. Bumping up the award money may seem small for players who make millions, but it does not hurt to sweeten the pot for a game that players do not have to play in. The game should also be a 7v7 format instead of the traditional 12v12 that would encourage more scoring at a faster pace and change it up for the audience.
More importantly, the Pro Bowl should be held during the regular season like all the other sport leagues All-Star games instead at the end of year. Having the Pro Bowl be a league-wide break week in the middle of the season would increase participation as players would be in mid-season form and not be exhausted like they are by the end of the season. All players would be available to play unlike the current situation where the players on the Super Bowl teams do not participate due to preparing for the championship. Notably, there would be less exhaustion and reason to opt out, causing more people to tune in to see their favorite players in the game.
Overall, while the current format of the Pro Bowl leaves both players and fans disappointed, taking a page out of the NBA’s playbook and making these changes would encourage player participation and truly make the Pro Bowl worth watching again.
