The NFL announced Monday it is scrapping the Pro Bowl, the traditional football all-star game, in favor of a series of events titled the “Pro Bowl Games.”
The events scheduled for the Pro Bowl Games include various “skills challenges” throughout the week, with the Sunday game being a flag football game rather than the traditional tackle football game.
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The league said that the Pro Bowl would still include fan voting for the NFL all-star event and that the event would be hosted in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“We’ve received invaluable feedback from players, teams and fans about reimagining the Pro Bowl, and as a result, we’re thrilled to use The Pro Bowl Games as a platform to spotlight Flag football as an integral part of the sport’s future while also introducing fun, new forms of competition and entertainment that will bring our players, their families and fans closer than ever before,” Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president for club business and league events, said in a press release. “We look forward to bringing The 2023 Pro Bowl Games to the capital of world-class sports and entertainment.”
Introducing the 2023 Pro Bowl Games presented by Verizon. ?
Coming to @Vegas this February. pic.twitter.com/RdJRsMBK5U
— NFL (@NFL) September 26, 2022
The change in format for the all-star game from tackle to flag football comes as the NFL is attempting to lobby for flag football to be included as part of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. The league announced in July that it was partnering with the International Federation of American Football to create the “Vision28” Group, with the goal of having the sport in the Olympics in six years.
The NFL also announced that Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and his production company Omaha Productions would “help shape the programming throughout the week” for the Pro Bowl Games.
The 2022 Pro Bowl was heavily criticized due to several top players opting out of the game and the players who did play not performing well, with some calling the level of play “ugly” and others calling the game “an embarrassment.” The AFC all-stars beat the NFC all-stars 41-35.
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The Pro Bowl Games are scheduled to be broadcast on the ESPN networks in the first week of February. The flag football game will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, on Feb. 5, 2023, and will be broadcast on ABC and ESPN.
