Sure its fun watching Stefon Diggs play corner against his brother and run a modified version of the Philly Special and it might be enjoyable watching some of the NFL’s top talent face off in a game, but honestly, why do we still have the Pro Bowl?

The offseason is by far the most important time for an athlete, for recovery and improvement. It gives players an opportunity to work on their craft, to ultimately make their teams better in the future. Having a Pro Bowl hinders that opportunity. Many players, like Buffalo QB Josh Allen, who wrote a letter explaining why he opted out.

Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson also opted out, concerned for his health.

Many of the players who played in the game also showed visual concerns for their health during the game. Many defensive players didn’t even make an effort to tackle a ball carrier, and many ball carriers slowed down before “contact”. The game looked more like elementary two hand touch football, and only had around 10 actual tackles.

The week of the Pro Bowl itself is an amazing atmosphere for the players and fans. Players partake in games like dodgeball, racing, and target practice. Something about seeing professional athletes play games like 5th graders is very wholesome. These events also prevent injuries and aren’t very tolling on the body. It also gives the athletes something to look forward to, and gives a fresh new and fun look toward the NFL.

However, the game itself is arguably the worst “All-Star” game in all of sports. Football is meant to be a violent, contact sport, and without that, the game is not as entertaining. A good alternative could be a flag football version of the game, where the skills play a 7 on 7 flag game and the lineman play a game of their own, that way it is easy on the athlete’s body’s and its amusing for the fans.