The National Football League has given its embattled Pro Bowl a one-year reprieve for 2013, challenging its players and Hawaii to demonstrate how the 73-year-old all-star game can be made viable for the future.
After nearly four months of speculation about whether the event would continue — and where it might be held — the NFL announced Wednesday the all-star game will be played Jan. 27 at Aloha Stadium.
The 33rd Pro Bowl to be played in Hawaii in 34 years will be held the week preceding Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans and be televised by NBC, the NFL said.
Left hanging is the game’s future beyond 2013.
12.5 M
Number of viewers who watched the 2012 Pro Bowl, according to Nielsen
$4.15 M
Amount the state paid the NFL to host the 2012 game
$25.8 M
Amount in visitor spending generated by this year’s Pro Bowl, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority |
"We’ll evaluate the event after (next) year’s game before making any decision about its future," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the Star-Advertiser in an email.
The 2012 game drew choruses of boos at Aloha Stadium and widespread ridicule nationwide for the often lackadaisical approach by some players in the National Football Conference’s 59-41 win over the American Football Conference. The outcry prompted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to threaten to cancel the game. "If we can’t improve it and we can’t make it more competitive, then we shouldn’t play it," Goodell said in April.
David Uchiyama, vice president of brand management with the Hawaii Tourism Authority, called the situation a "wake-up call" for all concerned.
The NFL’s announcement Wednesday followed several rounds of talks between the league and the players union, the NFL Players Association.
"The players expressed interest in improving the quality of play and playing the game in Hawaii," McCarthy said. "We’ll work closely with them to develop ways to improve the game’s competitiveness, which, we all agree, is not up to NFL standards."
Players Association President Domonique Foxworth said, "The players believe that the Pro Bowl is an important tradition. We worked hard with the league to make sure the best players in the NFL are honored for their achievements on the field."
Most players have bonus provisions in their contracts for being selected to Pro Bowl rosters.
Both the NFL and the NFLPA would not say what assurances were given that the game would be more competitive, or what changes might be in store for a game in which members of the winning team are already paid $50,000 and players on the losing squad receive $25,000.
"On our side, obviously we want it to be a good fan experience and we want it to be a good player experience," said George Atallah, assistant executive director of external affairs for the players union. "So there’s gotta be some way where both sides can be happy with the outcome, the production of the game and the quality of the game. And I think right now we’re very pleased that the game is being played. Any other issues around improving it are things that we continue to talk to the league about."
The tourism authority said terms for hosting the 2013 game would be similar to 2012, when the state paid the NFL $4 million, plus $152,500 in stadium operating costs.
In addition, Uchiyama said the authority is talking to the NFL about expanding ties and enhancing the Pro Bowl experience as part of a proposal to have the game here five times in a seven-year period. Bringing an NFL developmental league to Hawaii or having Aloha Stadium as a site of an exhibition game in years when the Pro Bowl is held elsewhere were two ideas mentioned.
"We’d like to have it here all seven (years) but the NFL would like some flexibility," Uchiyama said.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who last year compared Pro Bowl negotiations to having a gun held to the state’s head by the NFL, Wednesday saluted the game’s return. "This is wonderful news for football fans in Hawaii and elsewhere who love watching the game," Abercrombie said in a statement. "It’s also great news for NFL players and their families who enjoy coming to our Aloha State."
The 2012 game was seen by 12.5 million viewers, making it the second most-viewed Pro Bowl in 12 years, behind the 2011 game. The 2012 viewership topped baseball’s all-star game by 1.5 million viewers and led all pro all-star games.
The tourism authority said there were 18,873 event visitors to the game in a crowd of 48,423 and they generated $25.8 million in visitor spending and $2.8 million in state taxes.
Uchiyama said the lateness of the announcement of the 2013 game would not affect the number of visitors. "Normally, North American (bookings) are from about 45 days out. I think we’re still good," he said.
The only time the Pro Bowl has been played outside Hawaii since 1980 was in 2010, when southern Florida hosted the game in conjunction with the Super Bowl as part of an NFL experiment.
New Orleans had lobbied to have the 2013 game there in tandem with the Super Bowl, and earlier this month some news outlets reported the game would go there.
"I think both sides, particularly (Domonique Foxworth) and Roger (Goodell), worked on this together to make sure it would happen in the best place to have the game and, this year, that place (is) Hawaii," Atallah said.
