It doesn’t matter that this year’s Pro Bowl was an even bigger dud than usual. It didn’t matter that the NFC led 42-0 late in the second quarter.
NFL fans need to feed our addiction, and we’ll take whatever we can get.
Sunday’s Pro Bowl got an 8.6 overnight rating, which was an 8% increase from last year’s suddenly boffo ratings. It was the most-watched Pro Bowl since 1997 with 13.4 million viewers, the most-watched show on television Sunday, and the most watched all-star game in any sport since 2009.
To put it another way: The Pro Bowl nearly gets the same ratings as some BCS games or World Series matchups.
To put it yet another way: The Pro Bowl should stay before the Super Bowl indefinitely, whether it’s in Hawaii or not.