In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League (NFL). Since the merger with the rival American Football League (AFL) in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference (AFC) against those in the National Football Conference (NFC).
Unlike most other sports leagues, which hold their all-star games during (roughly) the halfway point of their respective regular seasons, the Pro Bowl is played at the end of the NFL season. The NFL's all-star game draws bigger television ratings than all other major sports all-star games. The 2012 Pro Bowl drew 13.5 million viewers. However, the biggest concern of teams is to avoid injuries to the star players. The Associated Press wrote that players in the 2012 game were "hitting each other as though they were having a pillow fight."
Read more about Pro Bowl: History of The Pro Bowl, Player Selection, Game Honors, Rule Differences, Pro Bowl Uniforms, Records, Television
Famous quotes containing the words pro and/or bowl:
“It is sweet and honourable to die for one’s country.
[Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.]”
—Horace [Quintus Horatius Flaccus] (65–8 B.C.)
“Three wise men of Gotham
Went to sea in a bowl;
If the bowl had been stronger,
My story would have been longer.”
—Mother Goose (fl. 17th–18th century. Three wise men of Gotham (l. 1–4)