2010 Pro Bowl Location Changed

The Pro Bowl will be played one week before the Super Bowl in 2010 and both games will be staged in Dolphin Stadium, a person directly involved in the decision told The Associated Press on Monday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the NFL has not announced the move, but Hawaii's governor and Honolulu's mayor both confirmed the situation later Monday.

"While I am disappointed the Pro Bowl likely will not be played in Hawaii in 2010, I respect the NFL's decision to play the post season all-star game in the same city as the Super Bowl, one week before the Super Bowl, on a one-year test basis," Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle said in a statement.

It's not a new notion to have the game moved up to take place between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. The NFL has discussed it multiple times in recent years, and commissioner Roger Goodell told the AP last month that having the game precede the Super Bowl would avoid a "somewhat anticlimactic" ending to the season.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "We also have been exploring playing future Pro Bowls at the site of the Super Bowl as well as in Honolulu."The Pro Bowl has been held in Honolulu since 1980, and it's probable that the game will return to Hawaii after 2010, although not on the permanent basis as has been the case over the past three decades.

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Giantmetfan07 said:

ya pretty much. This is going to be a failure and eventually they'll say their moving it back to Hawaii temporarily, and it'll probably stay thatere.

People want to see the best players, and some of those players wont be in the Pro Bowl, so in theory it will actually have a negative impact.

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MIAMI -- The Pro Bowl will be played one week before the Super Bowl in 2010 and both games will be staged in Dolphin Stadium, a person directly involved in the decision told The Associated Press on Monday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the NFL has not announced the move, but Hawaii's governor and Honolulu's mayor both confirmed the situation later Monday.
"While I am disappointed the Pro Bowl likely will not be played in Hawaii in 2010, I respect the NFL's decision to play the post season all-star game in the same city as the Super Bowl, one week before the Super Bowl, on a one-year test basis," Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle said in a statement.

It's not a new notion to have the game moved up to take place between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. The NFL has discussed it multiple times in recent years, and commissioner Roger Goodell told the AP last month that having the game precede the Super Bowl would avoid a "somewhat anticlimactic" ending to the season.

"Plans for future Pro Bowls are not final, but we have stated publicly several times that we are giving strong consideration to moving the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "We also have been exploring playing future Pro Bowls at the site of the Super Bowl as well as in Honolulu."

The Pro Bowl has been held in Honolulu since 1980, and it's probable that the game will return to Hawaii after 2010, although not on the permanent basis as has been the case over the past three decades. Lingle said she was hopeful a deal could be struck in time for the 2011 game to return to Honolulu, and the city's mayor, Mufi Hannemann, told The AP that he also is optimistic for eventual Pro Bowls.

"It's not that this comes as a surprise," Hannemann said. "The NFL has made it known for some time now that they were looking for some sort of rotational basis. We just need to get a new agreement with the NFL, whether it's every year or every two years or every three years. The ball's in our court to get that done."

It won't be South Florida's first Pro Bowl: the 1975 game took place in Miami's Orange Bowl, during a period when the site rotated annually.

Barring a schedule change, next season's Pro Bowl will take place Jan. 31, 2010, with the Super Bowl that year on Feb. 7. The league's plan is for players on the AFC and NFC championship squads not to take part in the Pro Bowl.

Miami was awarded the 2010 Super Bowl three years ago, a record 10th time the game will come to the Dolphins' home city. The notion of adding the Pro Bowl to the lineup in South Florida was first discussed several months ago. It's not clear when the final decision was made to move the game.

Hawaii tourism officials have lobbied in recent months to extend the game's current contract, which expires after this season's Pro Bowl, pointing to the fact that it's been sold out every year since moving to Honolulu and generates about $30.5 million in visitor spending and tax revenues.

Lloyd I. Unebasami, the interim CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority, told The AP that his organization -- which has been involved in negotiations to extend the contract -- had not yet received anything official from the NFL about the switch.

"We're working toward assuring ourselves that we'll be one of the Pro Bowl stops of the NFL," said Unebasami, adding that his organization is also working on luring international soccer matches to Hawaii in 2010 -- just in case the Pro Bowl isn't there and creates a void in the state's sport-tourism landscape.

Earlier this year, Hawaii's state government released $11 million for lighting and roofing improvements at Aloha Stadium, part of ongoing upgrades designed to refurbish and modernize the aging stadium. State officials have also considered demolishing the facility and building a new stadium.

Losing the Pro Bowl, combined with slowdowns in tourism because of the sluggish economy, is a double-dose of bad news for Honolulu, which estimates that 25,000 people came from out-of-state for Pro Bowls.

"It's not a shock because in talking with the NFL last year and this year, you realize the potential was there that it wouldn't stay in Honolulu forever and ever," said the mayor, Hannemann.

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AE said:

I don't think we as fans really care where the Pro Bowl is played and I do think it will work.

I think this move is not only designed to make this game better cost effective for the league...but a trip to Miami is much easier for a lot of these players voted in than Hawaii is. We would see more players voted in actually play in this game...as opposed to alternates filling in.

But I also don't watch the Pro Bowl either.

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Macken said:

much easier trip?

these players dont pay outta pocket to goto the pro bowl in hawaii , that is a great weekend to relax and get together for them, now they get to goto Miami and do what? get harrased by the cubans?

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AE said:

Your talking about a longer flight, longer stay, than just heading to Miami for a few days. Keep in mind that these guys have already spent week after week on the road, in the locker rooms, in front of the media, and I think Miami is a much easier place to play the game.

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Macken said:

nope .. why wouldnt they wanna end the season with an off week in hawaii enjoying themselves... this guys dont have an off season they are on the road again the week after the pro bowl, doing football camps, guest speaking and stuff like that. well at least the ones that are active in there communities with stuff like that.. i know for damn sure i dont wanna goto Miami and play there. especially since you might have gone there and played once this year already.

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AE said:

Because they are million dollar athletes and can go to Hawaii whenever they want during the off-season. How relaxing & enjoyable do you guys think it is when you have to go to practices every day and the league has you committed to all these media events while your there?

I am pretty sure the players could care less about the move.

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Macken said:

couldnt care less?
who WANTS to play in Miami?

your gonna get more ppl saying no then before. if there wasnt any skill competitions this is a one-day trip to some of these guys. and if they dont get to relax and kick back on the beach for a week, how many of them wanna get up and go play a football game that means nothing and have nothing to enjoy while they are there

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AE said:

I'm telling you, the NFL is wise to add this game into the Super Bowl festivities. I guess we will see come 2010.

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Macken said:

its not in the superbowl fesitivies, its just a week before the superbowl now , so the season will end in a bang instead of guys going out there and having fun

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AE said:

But we are more likely to watch it because once the Super Bowl is over...none of us have cared to watch Pro Bowl following.

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