The NFL has a bold new proposal for the Pro Bowl – play it in Australia.
According to NFL VP of International Mark Waller, the league is looking at moving the game down under to raise interest.
NFL's Mark Waller says the league is considering a proposal to move Pro Bowl to Australia. Indicates it is a real possibility
— Les Carpenter (@Lescarpenter) February 5, 2016
On Friday, Roger Goodell admitted that he wasn’t thrilled with this year’s Pro Bowl:
Goodell: I was disappointed in Pro Bowl this year.
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) February 5, 2016
Roger Goodell says "we may have to think about (the Pro Bowl) differently. …If it's not quality, we have to do something different." Harsh
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 5, 2016
You can move the Pro Bowl anywhere you want, but that won’t address the problems with it: namely, it’s non-contact football, makes for terrible viewing, and most of the top players don’t play. A 20-hour plane flight around the world seems like it would make it even less likely that players would be clamoring to play in it. Some of them already don’t care. The league has already tried a bunch of gimmicks like a legend-helmed fantasy draft. It hasn’t worked. There’s nothing that can realistically be done to salvage it as a spectacle, so either stomach what it is and take the TV ratings or kill it off altogether.
