[3] For years, the game suffered from lack of interest for its perceived low quality,[4] with observers and commentators expressing their disfavor with it.

Although originally planned as an annual contest, the all-star game was discontinued after 1942 because of travel restrictions put in place during World War II.

The concept of an all-star game was not revived until June 1950, when the newly christened "Pro Bowl" was approved.

The 2012 game was met with criticism from fans and sports writers for the lack of quality play by the players.

[13] During the ensuing off-season, the NFL Players Association lobbied to keep the Pro Bowl, and negotiated several rule changes to be implemented for the 2014 game.

[17] The NFL was also considering future Pro Bowls in Mexico and Germany to leverage international markets.

[22] The roster was still voted on and named, and alternative broadcast and streaming events were held during the week of the game.

[23][24][25] In May 2022, Commissioner Roger Goodell questioned the future of the Pro Bowl, arguing that it "doesn't work", and that "another way to celebrate the players" was needed.

[29] For the 1983 Pro Bowl, the NFL resumed selecting the losing head coaches in the conference championship games.

In the 1999 Pro Bowl, New York Jets head coach Bill Parcells, after his team lost to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game, had to decline for health reasons and Jets assistant head coach Bill Belichick took his place.

On the vast majority of plays, the ball carrier either gives up as soon as a defensive player grabs him, or goes out of bounds to avoid contact.

True sudden death rules apply thereafter if both teams have had their initial possession and the game remains tied.

The Pro Bowl is not allowed to end in a tie, unlike preseason and regular season games.

The early Pro Bowl, contested by the National Football League's Eastern and Western Division stars and played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, featured the same uniforms from the 1950s to mid-1960s; the Eastern team wore scarlet jerseys with white numerals and a white crescent shoulder stripe, white pants with red stripe, red socks, and a plain red helmet.

In fact, the players brought their own game helmets to Los Angeles, which were then spray-painted and decorated for the contest.

With the switch to the Pro Bowl Games format in 2023, players are no longer required to wear standard football uniforms, helmets and pads.

[49] Of currently active players, offensive lineman Trent Williams has the most Pro Bowl invitations with 11.

This is due to the voluntary nature of the game, the arbitrary voting process, and the fear of player injury.

This is because player injury plays a much greater part in a team's success in the NFL as compared to the other major American sports.

For this reason, unlike the NBA, NHL, and MLB (which host their all-star events as a mid-season break), the Pro Bowl was historically held after the completion of the season and playoffs.

In the 2012 game, the lack of defensive effort was apparent, not only to anyone watching, but additionally evidenced by the combined score of 100 points.

[56][57] It is worth noting that entire teams have declined to participate after losing the conference championship, like the 2015 New England Patriots, which had seven starters on the Pro Bowl roster.

This, among other factors, caused the 2016 Pro Bowl to be more of a game featuring emerging players, with a record of 133 players selected overall (including those who were absent), and ended up including rookie quarterback Jameis Winston instead of recognized veterans Tom Brady and Carson Palmer, who were both in the conversation for the 2015 NFL season MVP before losing in their respective conference finals.

[58] In 2022 and 2023, Josh Allen turned down invitations to the Pro Bowl in favor of playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament,[59] decisions that he stated were to allow himself to recover from several minor injuries.

[60] In 2023, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs called the event "stupid" and stated that he would prefer to go on vacation rather than play in the game.

In the 2008 Pro Bowl, the Dallas Cowboys had thirteen players on the NFC roster, an NFL record.

"If you're in a small market, no one really gets to see you play", said Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, who spent much of his early career with the small-market Buffalo Bills.

[63] For example, in 2010, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs admitted voting for Ryan Fitzpatrick (then the backup quarterback of the Buffalo Bills) over eventual league most valuable player Tom Brady not because he thought Fitzpatrick was the better player but as a vote of disrespect toward Brady's team, the New England Patriots.

Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke only made the Pro Bowl once, despite being named All-Pro seven times and being the MVP of the 1962 NFL Championship Game.

Defensive back Ken Riley never made the Pro Bowl in his 15 seasons, even though he recorded 65 interceptions, the fourth-highest total in NFL history at the time of his retirement.