At least that’s what some people are hoping. NFL sources recently leaked information regarding the Pro Bowl’s demise — and for good reason — after 2013. It needs to be sacked. Maybe not entirely — perhaps a balloting process is warranted — but a pillow fight is more dangerous than the Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl is the All-Star game of the National Football League where the National Football Conference (NFC) plays a scrimmaged game against the American Football Conference (AFC) at the end of the regular season.

The first All-Star game started in the 1938 season but was not christened the “Pro Bowl” until the 1950 season. The first 21 games of the series from 1951 to 1972 were played in Los Angeles. The site was then changed to be hosted in different cities annually until 1980 when the league decided, for whatever reason, to turn the Pro Bowl into a vacation spot and until 2009 was housed permanently to Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2010, the Pro Bowl was played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, where the Super Bowl was to be played. This marked the first time ever that the Pro Bowl was held before the championship game, with the new rule that the conference teams do not include players from the teams that will be playing in the Super Bowl. How in the wide world of sports are we supposed to watch a game picked from the “best” football players but from only a limited list?

Currently, players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players themselves and the fans. Each group’s ballots count for one third of the votes. The fans vote online at the NFL’s official website. There are also replacements that also go to the game, should any selected player be unable to play due to injuries. Prior to 1995, only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections. This is the first gaffe; we all know fans know less about their favorite sports than the players and coaches, to be harsh but fair. How are we supposed to see the best play the best if we let bias of our favorites get into the game?

For example, the 2011 Pro Bowl featured voted in favorite Eagles Quarterback Michael Vick as the starter for the NFC team. He clearly wasn’t the best in the NFC that year. He only passed for 3,018 yards on the season with a 62.6 completion percentage and 21 touchdowns. In contrast, Drew Brees threw for 4,620 yards, 68.1 completion percentage and 33 touchdowns. Not to steal a column title, but by the numbers that makes no sense. That is just one small sample of why the Pro Bowl is hokie.

Next, there is very little incentive to actually play the game. Unlike the MLB All-Star game, the Pro Bowl is just a showcase of talent. The game means nothing. There are trophies, sure. There is even a little bitty payout. In the 2011 season, a record $50,000 was awarded for a win versus $25,000 for the losers.

Now how is a guy supposed to go out and get himself injured and not get paid multi-millions of dollars for a fraction of his pay? Why would they risk injury to play regular season games for a pointless showcase? Answer: they don’t. Scores are high, linemen play touch football and receivers dive like quarterbacks on the scramble. Why do they keep this joke of a game going? Ratings. Fans to the tune of 13.1 million watched the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl. It’s sad, but it’s true. It makes someone money but surely isn’t fun to watch.