NFL Contemplating Getting Rid Of Pro Bowl, And Would Anyone Really Care?

How long has the NFL tried to figure out what to do about the Pro Bowl?

Well, only about since the time the game was invented. And now, it appears the league could eliminate the game entirely.

That leads to the question, would anyone care?

Anyway, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, team owners are "discussing the Pro Bowl and ways to improve it" while they meet this week in Atlanta. One of the options: Just get rid of the darn thing.

All-star games in football can be tricky. NFL players already run their bodies into the ground during the regular season. And last thing you want is your star player suffering a major injury in a meaningless game.

They always say all-star games are for the fans, but unless it's baseball, the fans don't actually seem to care. What it really is, in the NFL, is way to make more money via broadcast rights, commercials, sponsorships, etc.

So if the NFL really did do away with the Pro Bowl, no one would likely notice.

Actually, that's not entirely true. The league and its bookkeepers would notice. It does generate revenue, despite the fact it's little more than two-hand touch in shoulder pads and helmets.

In the NFL, the bottom line is always the bottom line. If the Pro Bowl goes away, the league may just come up with something even dumber to make up for the revenue. So maybe the Pro Bowl isn't the worst idea, after all.