BY CONNOR BORTZ
In 2013, it was just another year, and just another Pro Bowl. The NFL Pro Bowl, as it had done since 1971, featured the NFC (National Football Conference) versus the AFC (American Football Conference) in what had become, in recent years, a snoozer.
Pro Bowl ratings were decreasing rapidly as the game seemed to mean less and less to the players and fans. According to Austin Karp of Sports-Business Daily, in 2013 the overnight ratings were 7.7, and in 2013 that number dropped to 6.7. The product on the field was more of everyone joking around rather than playing a football game.
National Football League Players’ Association (NFLPA) President Domonique Foxworth had a bold idea to change the format of the game to create the “ultimate fan-friendly experience.”
His idea, which was adopted by the NFL for the 2014 NFL season, was that the players would not represent their respective conference, but instead, there would be a Pro Bowl draft where eligible players would be selected to one of two teams by the team captains (Michael Irvin and Chris Carter). These two team captains would be accompanied by the top two overall vote getters to pick the teams.
Also, it would not matter what conference players were from. The captain’s pick it was the best players from that position overall.
For example, the top six quarterbacks are chosen by the fans, coaches, and players, and they are then drafted by the two team captains.
The Pro Bowl used to be held in Hawaii, where the players basically had a vacation leading up to the game. But now, to make it more a part of the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl was held at the site of the Super Bowl one week before the sport’s biggest event.
So everyone looking for a great “Super Bowl Week” experience can catch more than just one professional football game during their time there.
Changes to the Game
– A two-minute warning is added to both the first and third quarters, and at the end of a quarter, the ball will change hands.
-There aren’t any kickoffs. Any time a team scores or a quarter ends, the other team receives the ball on the 25-yard line.
-Inside of two minutes, the clock will stop if the offense does not gain at least one yard as if the play resulted in an incomplete pass.
-The goal posts are much tighter, making it harder for field goal kickers (there was even a missed extra point).