NFL needs to be honest. The fun of the pro bowl is for kids to love seeing all those different helmets on the screen and see players who may never play together to play together. With Free agency that is a not as big of a deal, but it is a meaningless game that most adults will just watch for the novelty. Unless the NFL gives the winning players $1,000,000 it will never be a real game
Yeah, the Pro Bowl gets better ratings than most other things that are on TV, period. And so as long as it does, and that's how things are broadcast and measured, it will likely continue. But its become a total joke, and I don't watch any more.
Wait, there was a pro bowl played yesterday? (Sarcasm) I stopped watching the Pro Bowl about 20 years ago when it became apparent to me it was never going to be a best versus the best game anymore, just a glorified scrimmage. Out of morbid curiosity I looked at the highlights on nfl.com and shook my head in the lack of defensive effort. I long for the days when pro bowl scores ended 14-10, 17-10...something that showed both sides of the ball truly being played