Rosters were announced Tuesday for the 2012 Pro Bowl in Hawaii, but what no one would say Wednesday was whether it will be the last one played here for a while.
The Jan. 29, 2012, game is the final one of the most recent two-year extension and talks have yet to produce an announcement about the future of the game beyond that. The Pro Bowl has been held in Hawaii every year since 1980, with the exception of 2010.
Speculation has been that the NFL may choose to play the 2013 game in New Orleans in tandem with the Super Bowl, as it did in 2010, when both games were held in Miami Gardens, Fla., before possibly returning to Aloha Stadium in 2014.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy declined to address specific questions about the future of the game except to say, “We continue to have discussions with members of the (Hawaii Tourism Authority). We talked earlier this month and will talk again prior to the Pro Bowl. We do not have further comment on those discussions. We are looking forward to another great week and game in Hawaii next month.”
Mike McCartney, President and CEO of the HTA said in a statement, “The Hawaii Tourism Authority is continuing in our discussions with the National Football League regarding the Pro Bowl beyond 2012.
“We look forward to welcoming the NFL players, their families and fans to the Hawaiian Islands next month for an exciting game.”
The HTA is believed to be seeking a multiyear extension.
Despite the long history here, the NFL notified the HTA in recent years of its intention to consider other ways to showcase the game, including rotating it among franchise cities, which set up the move to Miami in 2010. The 2014 Super Bowl is scheduled for the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
The 2011 game in Honolulu drew 13.4 million viewers, the event’s best viewership since 1997, according to Fox, which televised the game.
The state pays the NFL $4 million annually to host the game, a figure that drew sharp criticism earlier this year from Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who questioned whether the money might be better spent elsewhere.
