Just announced by the National Football League, the always-maligned Pro Bowl will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium, the site of Super Bowl XLIX. As it has for the past five seasons, the Pro Bowl will be played the week prior to the Big Game.
The Pro Bowl will be played on Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 8 p.m. ET and under the new TV contract that takes effect this year, ESPN will be back televising the NFL’s All-Star Game, marking a full-time return to the Alleged Worldwide Leader. Under the previous contract, the network airing the Super Bowl would also air the Pro Bowl, however, CBS and Fox went out of their ways not to air it in recent years relinquishing their rights to either ESPN or NBC.
So here’s the NFL announcement regarding the Pro Bowl.
HERE COMES THE PRO BOWL!
(MOST-WATCHED ALL-STAR GAME IN SPORTS)2015 Pro Bowl to be Played in Arizona
2016 Pro Bowl Slated for HawaiiThe National Football League announced today locations and dates for the next two Pro Bowls.
The Pro Bowl following the 2014 season will be played on Sunday, January 25, 2015 and televised live on ESPN at 8 PM ET from University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona, the site of Super Bowl XLIX a week later on Sunday, February 1. The Arizona Cardinals and Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee will host the Pro Bowl and surrounding activities.
The Pro Bowl following the 2015 season will be played on Sunday, January 31, 2016 and televised live on ESPN from Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, which first hosted the NFL’s All-Star game in 1980. San Francisco will host Super Bowl L the following Sunday.
The NFL has an agreement with the State of Hawaii to play the Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium following the 2016 season but final confirmation of the game will be made at a later date.
Watched by 11.4 million viewers in 2014, the Pro Bowl has been the most-watched all-star game in all of sports the past four years.
The 2015 Pro Bowl will be the third one played in the same city as the Super Bowl. The Los Angeles Coliseum hosted the first Super Bowl on January 15, 1967 and the Pro Bowl the following week. South Florida hosted the Pro Bowl in 2010 a week before Super Bowl XLIV.
The 2015 Pro Bowl will be the sixth consecutive game played prior to the Super Bowl.
The 2014 Pro Bowl featured a significantly revised format that will continue. For the first time, the Pro Bowl was “unconferenced,” and several key playing rules were changed. Rather than the familiar AFC vs. NFC match-up that had existed since 1971, players were selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players.
Tickets will be available first to Arizona Cardinals season ticket members and annual Pro Bowl season ticket holders. Pro Bowl annual ticket subscribers in Hawaii will maintain their account status for any future games at Aloha Stadium.
And you see above that the Pro Bowl will once again be a “fantasy draft” as it was this year in hopes of attracting a bigger audience. Notice the NFL has said the Pro Bowl is the highest-rated All-Star Game in sports. Taking a little shot at MLB and NBA.
