Pro Bowl ratings show why NFL is keeping it around Posted by Michael David Smith on July 13, 2012, 12:10 PM EDT Despite plenty of talk that the Pro Bowl has become such a joke of an exhibition that the NFL ought to scrap it, the NFL’s version of an all-star game will return once again this season, on the Sunday before the Super Bowl. And anyone who’s wondering why the Pro Bowl stays around just needs to look at the TV ratings. Sports Media Watch put out a list of the 50 most-watched sporting events of the year so far, and the list shows what a TV ratings juggernaut the NFL is: The Super Bowl is No. 1 by a huge margin, of course, and the rest of the Top 10 consists of nine NFL playoff games. But what’s really striking is the rating for the Pro Bowl, which drew 12.5 million viewers on NBC on January 29. Yes, that makes it the lowest-rated NFL broadcast of 2012, but that’s still an enormous TV audience. To put the ratings in perspective, the Pro Bowl drew more viewers than the Major League Baseball All-Star game, which is the highest-rated baseball game of the year so far. The Pro Bowl also got better ratings than any hockey game this year, better ratings than all of the NBA conference finals games except Game 7 between the Celtics and Heat, better ratings than the U.S. Olympic gymnastics trials, better ratings than the final round of the U.S. Open and better ratings than a great Sugar Bowl game between Michigan and Virginia Tech. In other words, the NFL’s dominance over the TV ratings landscape extends even to a game that was so bad that the league’s MVP, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, said some of his fellow players embarrassed themselves. And that makes it easy to see why the league and its TV partners would want to keep the game around.
Can't blame them for keeping it so long as it keeps raking in the dough. I'll continue to not watch or care about it, though.
I have to say that I am surprised by the ratings numbers for the ProBowl game. But after seeing these number, no shock that it is going to be here to stay for a LONG TIME.
I think them moving it to the dead weekend before the Super Bowl was a smart move. Probably helped boost the ratings for last year's game.
I have some autographs from the AFC pro bowl team in the 70's when they stayed in San Diego and practiced before the game. One of them is an O.J. Simpson, but back then it was still a game.
Honestly, I did watch pro bowls that were post the SB more than the new format. AND I have actualy meant to try and pay attention to a Pro Bowl game, but even last year SOMEhow I found something way more worth while to do while not any more rememberable (aparently lol) but still wasnt the score last year AFC 50 NFC 25 or something?? It turned out to be a score fest taht I felt a little robbed that I did pass on such a great Exhibition game. But IMO the Pro bowl can die or go back to after the SB and be a semi meaningful exhibition game once again.
It's football in some form, so I watch. Went to Hawaii a couple years ago for the game, it was a good time. Last year the AFC won, so I won my annual Pro Bowl bet with my friend Brian. He has to vacuum my house, which reminds me I should set that up for sometime soon.
I think we have a winner. So on every score or every failed third down take a shot? Or in my case a beer.
Shots for tds, chugs for fgs, then pretty much make the rules up as you go after that. It changes year to year. For instance one year we had to take shot for sideline interviews. BAD idea.
