The Pro Bowl will once again be played at Honolulu's Aloha Stadium on Sunday, but for the "third time in five years Hawaii hosts the game with no immediate guarantee it will be back the following year," according to Ferd Lewis of the HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER. The NFL has until March 31 to "opt out of Honolulu" for the '17 game, as the two-year deal between the league and the Hawaii Tourism Authority signed in '14 "allows either party to vacate the contract by the deadline." Honolulu "would appear to be the front-runner" for the '17 game, but it "might not be the only suitor." The Sydney Daily Telegraph over the weekend reported Sydney and Melbourne "have expressed interest and Sydney 'is preparing to put in a major bid' for next year's game." NFL execs over the past year have "increasingly touted the idea of taking the game beyond the U.S. as part of its international reach." The current deal stipulates that Hawaii pays the NFL $5M to host the game in '16 and '17 if it is played in the state. The Pro Bowl has seen a "four-year slide in TV viewership," while the announced attendance at the last two games played at Aloha Stadium, 47,270 in '14 and 47,134 in '13, was the lowest since the game moved to Hawaii in '80 (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 1/26).
WHERE'S KEANU REAVES? ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert reported that the "official number of players either voted to the Pro Bowl or added as an alternate had reached 133" as of yesterday afternoon, marking the "highest number in NFL history." It is "well beyond the previous high of 119" set after the '09 season. While players "decline invitations for a variety of reasons, including injury and whether they are a member of a Super Bowl entrant," this year's game has "produced an increased number of players who were simply uninterested" (ESPN.com, 1/26). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Darin Gantt noted 14 players are out of the game because they made the Super Bowl, while the rest "have backed out because of injuries or personal reasons." The game was "already a sham, but the diaspora at certain glamour positions make it even more so now." Five of the six QBs picked "are out, as are five of the six initial picks at outside linebacker." Gantt: "While some degree of attrition is expected, the current rate is kind of ridiculous" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 1/26).
I LOVE GOLD! CBSSPORTS.com's John Breech wrote this year's Pro Bowl jerseys are the "coolest uniforms in the game's history." Nike added some "gold to the Pro Bowl uniforms ... to go along with the NFL's golden Super Bowl 50 theme." They are a "huge step up from last year" (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/26).
