Reuters

The quality of play in the Pro Bowl has deteriorated to such an extent that the NFL might just scrap it.

The idea for getting rid of the Pro Bowl entirely has picked up steam in recent years, and Chris Mortensen reported on ESPN Radio this morning that there’s talk of suspending the Pro Bowl as soon as this year: There might not be a Pro Bowl at all at the end of this season.

It’s still possible that the NFL could try to revive the Pro Bowl by giving the players greater incentive to play and play hard, or by creating a gimmick like having a team of rookies play against a team of veterans, or turning away from having a full-fledged game and instead emphasizing skills competitions like other sports have in conjunction with their all-star games. But it’s clear that the Pro Bowl is, if not dead, at least on life support.

One of the surprising aspects of the Pro Bowl is that, for as bad a football game as it is, it still draws good television ratings and turns a profit. Given that, it may be tough to convince the owners — who will ultimately make this decision — that the game should be scrapped.

But last year’s Pro Bowl was a joke of a football game, and the NFL doesn’t want its product to look like a joke. Something has to change, or else the whole thing will be done.

