People keep asking me for a prediction. Not for a Pro Bowl final score, but for the location of the game in future years.
You don’t have to be a genius to make an educated guess. Just think of where the Super Bowl is being held; if it’s in a place where it might not be snowing in late January or early February that is likely where the Pro Bowl will be played.
If not, it’s here … maybe.
So, since next year’s Super Bowl is in Arizona, I’ll bet that the Pro Bowl will also be there. In 2016, the Super Bowl is scheduled for the San Francisco Bay Area, so same deal. Super Bowl LI (51 for us non-Romans) is slated for Houston, meaning Hawaii might not have a good shot at that one, either.
David Uchiyama of the Hawaii Tourism Authority said it was good motivation when I wrote the odds were against a Hawaii-NFL deal last time, so I hope this helps.
But, while I’d be happy to be proven wrong, I’m thinking the next Pro Bowl here won’t be until 2018. The finalists to host the Super Bowl that year are Indianapolis, Minneapolis and New Orleans.
In recent years, Honolulu was chosen to host the Pro Bowl when the Super Bowl was in two of those cities. Minneapolis? Perhaps home to the best airport in the world, but once you get out of it not exactly a big draw in the winter unless you’re into ice fishing.
Now, a three-year hiatus might sound pretty bleak for those who appreciate the impact the Pro Bowl has on Hawaii’s economy.
And there are those who still question if there will even be a Pro Bowl at all for cities to fight over in the future.
The good news is some faint but distinct rumblings about a preseason game here. Chargers-Raiders perhaps? Hawaiian Air flies the Oakland team around, so that’s a starting point.
YOU KNOW where the players stand on Pro Bowl location: They want it here forever, or, "At least until I retire," as 31-year-old first-time Pro Bowler Jason Hatcher of the Cowboys said at Saturday’s Ohana Day celebration at Aloha Stadium.
Officials want it here permanently, too. "I’ve been to the last eight Pro Bowls," said retired coach Willie Shaw, who works as a rules liaison. "Except for the one in Miami because my wife didn’t want to go."
The military is a strong supporter; some folks lined up in the middle of the night to make sure they had good seats for the Hickam-Pearl Harbor practice on Thursday.
A lot of locals are more interested in ramen burgers than the Pro Bowl, though. The stands weren’t as crowded for Ohana Day as in previous years, the swap meet in the parking lot more the cause of traffic than the chance for autographs from NFL stars.
And that leads us to something else to keep in mind: When the Pro Bowl returned here in 2011 after the one year in Miami, attendance was 49,338. It went down to 48,423 in 2012 and 47,134 last year. A continuation of that trend today would mean a corresponding loss in leverage in getting the event back again anytime soon.
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Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. Read his blog at staradvertiser.com/quickreads.