The Steelers were represented well at the Pro Bowl, but the NFL needs to make changes for the popularity of the event to heighten.
Minkah Fitzpatrick and Cam Heyward participated in the many events of the Pro Bowl that saw the NFC emerge victorious. This event has lost its luster over the past decade or so that has seen the NFL try many different ideas to make it interesting. This year’s flag football idea was a travesty to watch and seemed to be worse than the product that was shown to viewers last year with pads on.
Some of the competitive events were interesting, but for the most part, it was a cringe riddled festival. Players have not seemed to care to attend the event in recent years and this time around was no different. Quarterbacks continue to do their best to dodge the event as backup quarterbacks littered the field. Rebranding the Pro Bowl and figuring out ways to entice players to the event needs to be a top priority.
Take the Pro Bowl back to the Aloha State permanently
It has been nearly eight years since the last Pro Bowl was played in Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. The home of the collegiate Warriors team. It used to be the paradise of pride for the NFL as many players would welcome a paid vacation to the famous spot during the Pro Bowl festivities.
Bringing back the formal host site of the event could bring back some big-ticket players along with it. There was better attendance when those that got elected to this All-star event got to go to the warm and beautiful island of Oahu. There will be construction done on Aloha stadium that could alter the NFL’s decision for the next few years.
New Aloha Stadium will begin construction in 2023 after the old site will be taken away. A new sports complex will be built in the area of the old stadium, which could bring new opportunities for the NFL returning back to the island. Many should assume that after this site is built the NFL will come with the interest of hosting a Pro Bowl or two there.
Include recently retired greats in competitive events to test their skills
It has been a while since retired players joined the Pro Bowl fun when the competition skills started. This past event saw some prior players join the fold by judging certain events and even on coaching staff. That was a good thought by the NFL, but there could be other things that the league could introduce. One could be using former players that have retired and see what kind of audience they can wrangle in to watching the event.
In prior Pro Bowls, there used to be retired players that would attend the event with some things on their agenda. One event would have former quarterbacks come out of retirement to show what they still had left in the tank. They would compete in different activities that tested their arm strength, accuracy, and overall athleticism.
Perhaps having some older players that cannot move well would not be a great idea, but someone that retired within the last ten years would suffice. You could have skill players from all kinds of positions come out and show what kind of talent they still possess on the field. It would be interesting to see how these former top-tier players would be able to perform on a limited basis against some of the current top NFL talent.
Have celebrities and fan voted coaching staff involved in the event
Something that many other leagues have included with their All-star events is the inclusion of celebrities. The NFL has dipped its toes into this idea recently with Snoop Dog and Pete Davidson being guest judges and coaches on the sideline. The NFL could potentially try to get into a bigger idea with celebrities being in the fold.
Getting a celebrity football game set up would be something that could pique the interest of many fans. It could even be a flag football event that could see the field filled with many stars across different platforms. Another thought would be to include celebrities who would be bigger halftime shows or have these stars coaching some of the NFL elite on the sidelines.
Another idea for the Pro Bowl is getting something changed with how the coaching staff is comprised. Usually, it is two staff from two different teams but that could change to make things more interesting. Getting former players or fan voted coaches into the game could also add some interesting concepts as well. Voting in some of the top coaches into an All-star staff voted on by the fans seems like a good concept that follows the lead of what the league is doing with their players.
Include other leagues in the Pro Bowl festivities for future talents
Getting more players to the Pro Bowl to expand the game of football might be one of the best ideas. You could include the college football All-star games around this time as well so that many different players could show their talents to NFL teams getting ready for the draft. The Senior Bowl, East-West Shrine Bowl, and many others include some of the top draft talent around this time of year.
Coming back to screens near you over the next couple of weeks will be the XFL after their failed rejuvenation a couple of years ago. They are trying to make a connection with the NFL to hopefully become a prospect farm league of talent. Getting these players in uniforms and participating in something that could show off their talents could also lead to potential future deals.
There are so many different leagues and All-star games that will be happening around this time in the future that the NFL needs to look at the opportunity in front of them. They need to be open to the idea of expanding into these leagues for developing potential talent like how the MLB and NHL do. Having these extra games filter around the Pro Bowl to have the All-star game as a sendoff event would make this much more interesting.
The Steelers could benefit from some of these ideas to include in Pro Bowl week. The NFL needs to relaunch this All-star event as it continues to struggle and seems to get worse as each year passes by.