Brazil, South Africa, Australia…
As much as it sounds like the itinerary for Kelly Slater or Carissa Moore on the World Surf League tour, those could be upcoming stops for the Pro Bowl, if the NFL has its way.
And, let’s face it, except in recent court battles, when has the NFL not had its way?
At their league meetings Wednesday in New York, NFL Owners approved a strategy for expanding their international reach with increased overseas regular-season games through 2025. The intention is to spread the brand globally beyond the current foothold in the United Kingdom with Mexico City a priority and Germany a possibility.
And, no, Honolulu, which last hosted an exhibition game in 1976, wasn’t in the conversation.
Maintaining this state’s tenuous hold on the Pro Bowl is the immediate challenge. One that would seem to be heightened with the mention Wednesday of Australia and South Africa joining previously discussed Rio de Janeiro in the ranks of possible contenders for the annual all-star game.
Aloha Stadium has the Pro Bowl for 2016 but after that it is anybody’s guess whose shores the lagging event might wash up on in ’17, ’18 and beyond. But, clearly, the NFL is looking.
An NFL spokesman told the Star-Advertiser, "We will make decisions on the 2017 game next spring. We’re laser focused on making the 2016 Pro Bowl a great experience for fans, players and coaches."
After rescuing the Pro Bowl from the scrap heap in 1980 and hosting the game for 30 consecutive years, two of the last six have gone elsewhere (Miami in 2010 and Arizona in 2015) and the game’s future here has never been more in doubt.
No doubt impressed by the World Cup, the NFL officials gushed earlier this year about the possibilities of taking the Pro Bowl to Rio. The NFL was intrigued enough to send its executive vice president for NFL International, Mark Waller, there this summer to "study the market and select partners for an ambitious project (for 2017)," according to the newspaper Fohla de Sao Paulo.
While there Waller told the paper the NFL was interested in "amplifying its influence and business in a market with big potential" and also wanted to "try and raise the public interest" in the U. S. for a game whose TV ratings are in decline.
How much of the NFL’s enthusiasm has been dented by the continued drop of Brazil’s economy isn’t known. But on Wednesday, Waller told the Associated Press, "You could realistically look at taking (the Pro Bowl) almost anywhere in the world where it is appealing. It’s hard to imagine taking a regular-season game to Australia or Asia or the Far East because how would you make the logistics work and then be competitive."
But the Pro Bowl, he said, "is a different animal." Waller said, "The great thing about the Pro Bowl is that it is a celebration of the end of the season, so we are much more open to where in the world would be fantastic for players to go and celebrate the end of the season. Rio would be great. South Africa would be great. Australia would be great…"
Honolulu’s future? Maybe not so great.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
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PHOTO BY DENNIS ODA