In what appears to be a last ditch effort to make the Pro Bowl relevant again, the NFL has added dodgeball as part of a pre-game skills competition. Yes, dodgeball. The same game you played on your childhood playground or in your current singles beer-league.
There will be four team captains consisting of Jerome Bettis, Ray Lewis (AFC) and Tony Gonzalez and Charles Woodson (NFC). I assume they will have a draft to pick teams?
According to the league, AFC and NFC players will go at it in a rousing game of dodgeball. Three other events are also being added to Pro Bowl week: A power relay challenge, a precision passing challenge and a best hands challenge.
You can read more about each of the skills competitions here.
But when it comes to the idea of NFL stars playing dodgeball, I guess I’m still on the fence about it. It’s a move that’s already being highly praised by countless outlets, but will it actually work?
The thought of Justin Houston whirling a ball at Russell Wilson’s noggin’ is certainly appealing. But in order for this experiment to work, the players will have to bite into it 100 percent. No one will want to sit and watch a bunch of over-paid professional athletes playing a school yard game.
Unless of course they’re wearing this …
At least we’re talking about the Pro Bowl. In December. Some buzz is better than none at all, especially in regards to the NFL’s all-star game, which has become a joke over the last decade.
The Pro Bowl Skills Showdown will air on Thursday, January 26 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of Crave Sports.
Photo: Getty
