5 facts about the history of the NFL Pro Bowl that you may not know

Steelers, Pro Bowl
Steelers, Pro Bowl / Kent Nishimura/GettyImages
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Many fans of the NFL don't seem to care much about the Pro Bowl anymore. It used to be something that celebrated the football season and brought it to a final close. Two teams full of the NFL's best were slated to go up against one another in a fun and joyful contest. It was never a physical matchup, but it was still a fun event to watch.

Over the years there has been a ton of history surrounding the NFL Pro Bowl as it started with its first game in 1939. There have been different ideas put in place during this All-Star event over the NFL's history and some have been more successful than others. One thing is for sure, this event is starting to fall apart, but that doesn't mean fans still don't want this game to work out.

The Pro Bowl as you know it started off in 1950 with two All-star teams

Many people didn't know that the Pro Bowl wasn't officially adopted until 1950. World War Two affected a lot of different things and the NFL was put on hold for a little while. They found different ways of surviving those times, which included merging some of their teams. That allowed for some games to occur, but the war was the main focus at the time.

After the war ended and the NFL started back into the swing of things, there wasn't an All-Star game for a while. Many players would just conclude the season and gain any accolades that they might have been honored quietly. It wasn't until the 1950 season that the NFL began calling their All-Star event the Pro Bowl.

It was nearly eight years between the NFL having to halt the All-Star game and finally bringing it back with the new "Pro Bowl". It was a game that brought new and innovative ideas to the event, and it seems like the players were more receptive to it than compared to what the event is like today. A lot has changed since the birth of the Pro Bowl over its nearly 75 years of existence.