NFL’S Pro Bowl returning to Hawaii
After hemming and hawing on both sides about the future of the Pro Bowl — and league executives and players actually seem to agree on this issue, concurring that the annual all-star event needs some kind of makeover to remain viable — the NFL and players union jointly announced Wednesday that the game would be held in Honolulu on Jan. 27, a week before Super Bowl XLVII is staged in New Orleans.
“The players have made it clear through the NFL Players Association that they would like the opportunity to continue to play the Pro Bowl in Hawaii,” NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson said.
“We will support the players on this initiative to improve the Pro Bowl. We have had many discussions with the players in recent years about the Pro Bowl, and they recognize that the quality of the game has not been up to NFL standards. We look forward to working with the players toward the goal of improving the competitiveness of this season’s game.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was reportedly in favor of scrapping the game as recently as last month, feeling it had devolved into an event that didn’t meet league standards.
Players enjoy the paid vacation to Hawaii, which has been home to the game every year but one since 1980, but seem much less enthused about playing it outside tropical confines. The league tried to drum up interest in the Pro Bowl by holding it in South Florida before Super Bowl XLIV in 2010. However, the players made it clear they could basically go to Florida (or elsewhere in the USA) any time they wanted.
The main objective of the game is not to get hurt for the league’s top players (those who opt to participate), which can lead to an on-field product that hardly resembles football. No offensive shifts and no blitzing are among the rules implemented to curb injuries, but they also vastly dilute the event. — Nate Davis