No Pro Bowl in Hawaii this Weekend

The 2010 Pro Bowl is being held in Miami this weekend after being hosted at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii for over 30 years. The Pro Bowl hasn't been played on the mainland since the 1979 game in Los Angeles, where Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Ahmad Rashad was the game's MVP. With the exception of the Pro Bowl there are no NFL games played in Hawaii, so for fans in the Islands this is a real blow.


There is one group of people unhappy about the move to Miami: the players. Rumor has it that players are disappointed that they won’t get the chance to visit Hawaii and take their well-deserved vacation. Many players take their friends and family to the Islands to relax, see the sights and enjoy the aloha spirit. In Miami, the atmosphere is very different, with many players concerned about the behavior of fans not only during but after the game. In a article on NFL.com, Roger Goodell mentioned that he was trying to raise the profile of the Pro Bowl, calling it, “a somewhat anticlimactic ending to the football season”. Isn’t the Pro Bowl about the players? At least it used to be – maybe now its all about the money.

In 2012, the Superbowl and possibly the Pro Bowl will be played in Indianapolis. I’m thinking that players who are selected for job well done in the 2011 season won’t think of the Pro Bowl as a treat when they have to trek to the mid-west in the middle of winter!

With the latest news that Brett Farve is not playing at the Pro Bowl this weekend, will you tune in and watch? Do you think moving the Pro Bowl to the mainland is a mistake?