The Setonian · Feb 2, 2017
NFL Pro Bowl needs to pick up ratings or shut down
On Jan. 29, the AFC and NFC squared off in the annual NFL Pro Bowl. What transpired was actually a somewhat competitive game, in which players actually seemed to care a little bit about the outing at hand. It would ultimately be the AFC who came out on top with a 20-13 victory.
Then Monday came, and the ratings for the game were released. To put it mildly, it wasn’t too pretty.
The Pro Bowl this year drew a 4.6 overnight rating, according to Sports Media Watch. That number is an 8 percent drop off last year’s game and is the lowest rating in a decade. Though the product on the field seemed to be improved over recent years, ratings did not come even close to reflecting this.