Pro Bowl Moved from Hawaii to Orlando

(photo credit: foxsports.com)

After being plagued by low attendance and low ratings, the NFL has decided to change to the Pro Bowl yet again. According to Bloomberg.com, the NFL has decided to change the location of the all-star event. 

The Pro Bowl will now be held in Orlando, Florida for the immediate future. The event has been held in Honolulu, Hawaii since 1979. 

Orlando beat out Houston, Honolulu, and Sydney to get to the NFL's all-star game. The game will now be held at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando. 

This stadium underwent a $200 million renovation in 2014. This stadium is home to UCF football, and to Orlando FC of the MLS. The NFL's contract with Hawaii's tourism authority expires May 31, which is a likely cause for the relocation.

 Other than Honolulu, the event has also been held at two Super Bowl cities. The Pro Bowl was in Miami in 2010, and in Glendale in 2015. 


After ratings for the event have suffered, the NFL has changed the format in hopes of attracting more viewers. While ratings have suffered, the Pro Bowl has the best ratings of every All-Star game in all of the four major sports. 

The Pro Bowl has suffered low ratings because many of the players back out so they avoid injury. But, they did enjoy the reward of going to Hawaii. It will be interesting if even more back out because its no longer in the Aloha state.