ESPN's Bill Barnwell suggests NFL vs. Team USA for Olympic flag football team, fix Pro Bowl

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggested a fascinating idea to increase interest in the Pro Bowl while promoting flag football for the Olympics. There’s been a lot of conversation regarding NFL players playing in 2028, when the Summer Olympics come to Los Angeles.

Of course, USA Football members who already rep the country in flag football aren’t in agreement. Still, it remains to be seen how the roster construction will play out.

But Barnell had a great idea in his mind to bring eyes to the Pro Bowl, which switched to a flag football game and skills competition a few years ago. Have the NFL players and Team USA members settle it on the field. Fair’s fair!

“I would pay a large sum of money out of my own pocket to watch the non-NFL flag football team vs. the NFL flag football team in a qualifier to see who represents the US,” Barnwell wrote on Blusesky. “Any outcome is good! NFL team blowout: Great, Pros vs. Joes was a lot of fun. NFL team narrow win: Classic, the underdogs pushed them to their limit. Non-NFL narrow win: Do you believe in miracles 2.0. Non-NFL blowout: This ends with NFL players fighting each other on the field.”

Fellow ESPN personality Mina Kimes liked the idea. She said Barnell “just fixed the Pro Bowl.” If that’s the case, sign us up!

“The result might be better for player safety but it hasn’t done anything to stop the bleeding when it comes to ratings,” Awful Announcing’s Sean Keeley wrote, regarding the ratings of the Pro Bowl. “This year’s Pro Bowl Games averaged 4.7 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, and Disney XD, the lowest non-COVID audience ever for the game. That was also an 18% decline from last year (5.75 million viewers) and a nearly 30% decline from two years ago (6.7 million), the first year of the new format.”

It would certainly up the stakes for the Pro Bowl. Let’s just say the Pro Bowl during an Olympic year is the only time it’s NFL vs. Team USA. It could create a lot of intrigue and create a nice buildup to the Olympics, especially for a new sport showcased during the Games.

One would think, logically, that NFL players would give Team USA a significant advantage in flag football. Will USA Football want to maintain some sort of amateurism in the Olympics against the rest of the world? That remains to be seen as we countdown to the 2028 Summer Olympics.