NFL Pro Bowl Moving to Orlando: Latest Details and Reaction

The NFL is moving the Pro Bowl from Honolulu to Orlando, Florida, the NFL announced on Wednesday.

Roger Goodell noted his excitement for the change in the league's official release:

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We are excited to re-imagine the Pro Bowl experience for both fans and players and to celebrate the game of football at all levels. Collaborating with Disney and ESPN brings us closer to the best in youth and family-focused entertainment. We look forward to working with the city of Orlando and Florida Citrus Sports to create a week-long celebration for football and our fans.

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Despina Barton of Bright House Sports Network (h/t MyNews13.com) first revealed the news on Tuesday.

It was initially reported by Bloomberg News' Scott Soshnick on May 19 the Pro Bowl was expected to make its way to Orlando.

Honolulu had hosted 35 of the past 37 Pro Bowls. This will be the NFL's first All-Star Game in the state of Florida since 2010, when it was at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens.

Peter Schrager of Fox Sports reported the game will return to the AFC vs. NFC format, moving away from the team captain format used in recent years.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Eric Adelson of Yahoo Sports in April three other cities had shown interest in addition to Orlando: Honolulu, Houston and Sydney.

Florida Citrus Sports, the group heading the efforts to get the Pro Bowl to Orlando, made its bid to the NFL back in April, when it volunteered Camping World Stadium—formerly known as the Citrus Bowl—as the hosting venue, per George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel.

Diaz also noted the league was looking for a $2.5 million bid.

Camping World Stadium, which opened in 1937, recently underwent a $207 million renovation and holds around 65,000 seats.

While the city has a Big Four team in the Orlando Magic, Camping World Stadium is not home to a Big Four tenant (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL), though it hosts an annual bowl game and Orlando City SC soccer matches.

The Hawaii Tourism Authority and the NFL had been discussing this winter whether they would opt out of Honolulu's contract to host the 2017 Pro Bowl. In March, the two sides extended the deadline to make a decision to May 31, per Ferd Lewis of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

While this might not boost television ratings or hype surrounding the event for football fans watching from home, it does give a market without an NFL franchise—in a state with three NFL teams—an opportunity to see some of the sport's biggest stars, which could draw huge crowds.