With the Super Bowl on the rise, everyone is talking about the NFL, and talk about the NFL always leads back to safety. People every year continue to discuss the increasing danger that comes with being a professional football player, and these discussions seem to warrant change as well. The 2022 season was filled with many eventful occurrences, but one of the most memorable had to be the sudden collapse of Damar Hamlin, whose accident just solidified the claim that the NFL needed to make some changes.

These changes were felt especially this year during the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is a casual competition between the two conferences in the NFL, the AFC (American Football Conference) and the NFC (National Football Conference), and it is filled with players who are voted in by coaches, players, and even fans. As of the last 14 years, it has been held the week before the Super Bowl to make up for the lack of games during each team’s bye week, and the only year it wasn’t held, was during 2021, due to the pandemic.

This year the Pro Bowl was filled with stars of the 2022-2023 season, featuring names such as Kirk Cousins, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Jefferson, George Kittle, and many more, but there was a shocking difference between this year’s Pro Bowl and years prior. In September of 2022, it was announced that the Pro Bowl game would be making a switch from simple two-hand touch football to pad-less flag football. Many were outraged by the choice, but many also agree that it was a necessary choice to make, with all of the injuries during this season. With fans wondering what’s the next move for the NFL, it is important to note that the player’s safety comes first.