The NFL announced that it will be replacing 2023’s Pro Bowl with a multi-day skills competition. The Pro Bowl, an all-star game pitting the best from the AFC against the NFC, will now become “The Pro Bowl Games.”
The traditional game at the end of Pro Bowl week will be replaced with a flag football game featuring the season’s Pro Bowlers. The event will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023.
Pro Bowl week will also have “the addition of new challenges intended to showcase Pro Bowlers’ football and non-football skills in unique competitions,” the NFL stated.
“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,” NFL Executive Vice President Peter O’Reilly said in a statement. “Building on the success of the 2022 Pro Bowl and 2022 Draft, as well as our strong partnership with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and Las Vegas Raiders, we look forward to bringing The 2023 Pro Bowl Games to the capital of world-class sports and entertainment.”
The NFL is hoping that this will bring a “fresh take” on what fans have considered a stale event for quite some time. Flag football is also a part of the NFL’s participation and development strategy “due to its highly accessible and inclusive qualities,” according to their statement. The league’s inclusion of flag football is so that the players and fans can enjoy a highly skilled competition without the risks associated with a full-speed, full-contact football game.
Fan voting will remain during the Pro Bowl Games and honors given to players will also be treated the same as in previous years.
Take a look at how fans are responding to the change below:
