Of all the odd things the NFL has tried to do to spice up the Pro Bowl, the one that seems to have drawn the most interest is the announcement that on the Thursday night before the Pro Bowl, ESPN will televise a dodgeball game featuring NFL teams. Because the dodgeball has drawn some interest, PFT endeavored to find out just what kind of dodgeball game we’re in for.
Although the NFL has not determined the official dodgeball rules yet, we’re told it will be similar to playground dodgeball, with small, soft footballs similar to Nerf balls. Because the balls are soft, players won’t need to wear helmets, gloves, eye protection or any other protective gear.
The dodgeball game will feature an AFC vs. NFC format, and will feature all of the players who are participating in the Skills Showdown, which also includes a relay race, a precision passing contest and a challenge quarterback-wide receiver passing contest.
Will this succeed in drumming up some interest in the Pro Bowl? Time will tell. But it sounds at least moderately interesting -- which is better than we can say for the actual Pro Bowl game in recent years.
