NFL announces end of Pro Bowl

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The NFL announced Wednesday that the Pro Bowl is no more.

The all-star event had been held annually since 1951, with the “Pro Bowl Games” replacing the traditional game in 2023.

The change will occur this year, with the league instead recognizing 88 players “with no replacement selections,” according to a press release from the league. The roster will “be determined through an equal-weighted voting process among players, coaches and fans,” the release says.

The release says the league will hold an in-person celebration in Los Angeles “during the traditional Pro Bowl weekend.” The Pro Bowl Games have recently been held the weekend before the Super Bowl.

“The Pro Bowl has always been about recognizing the players who distinguish themselves as the very best in the NFL,” a quote in the release attributed to Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president, Club Business, International and League Events, said. “A Pro Bowl selection will return to its original purpose, honoring the best of the best. We want that distinction to carry even greater meaning for the players, their families, their clubs and our fans.”

The Pro Bowl and Pro Bowl Games have come under criticism in recent years, with fans and pundits debating over the number of players who drop out of the event and the type of events associated with it.