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NFL to keep Pro Bowl in 2013
Updated: May 30, 2012, 3:58 PM ET
ESPN.com news services
The Pro Bowl is staying for at least one more year.
The league and the NFL Players Association announced Wednesday that the 2013 edition of the NFL's annual all-star event will be held Jan. 27 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
Commissioner Roger Goodell, among others, expressed concerns about the quality of play after January's game, and the league has been holding talks with the players' union about the future of the game.
League sources had told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen in April that the league was likely to suspend the Pro Bowl, but NFL executive Ray Anderson said Wednesday that the union wanted to keep the game going and preferred it be held in Hawaii.
"The players believe that the Pro Bowl is an important tradition," NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth said in a statement. "We worked hard with the league to make sure the best players in the NFL are honored for their achievements on the field."
The AFC routed the NFC 59-41 in last season's Pro Bowl, which drew boos at Aloha Stadium for its lack of early intensity.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had said that some of his NFC teammates "embarrassed themselves" with the effort they gave in the game.
The game still draws solid TV ratings, but isn't considered a money-maker. Although viewership dropped 8.1 percent in January, the Pro Bowl still was the highest-rated sports program of the weekend.
San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York questioned his followers on Twitter about their feelings toward the Pro Bowl, concluding from their responses that there "doesn't seem to be much love."
"We will support the players on this initiative to improve the Pro Bowl," Anderson, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, said in Wednesday's statement. "We have had many discussions with the players in recent years about the Pro Bowl and they recognize that the quality of the game has not been up to NFL standards. We look forward to working with the players toward the goal of improving the competitiveness of this season's game."
This year's game will be broadcast live on NBC at 7 p.m. ET and serve as the kickoff event for the Super Bowl, which will be played Feb. 3 in New Orleans.
Updated: May 30, 2012, 3:58 PM ET
ESPN.com news services
The Pro Bowl is staying for at least one more year.
The league and the NFL Players Association announced Wednesday that the 2013 edition of the NFL's annual all-star event will be held Jan. 27 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
Commissioner Roger Goodell, among others, expressed concerns about the quality of play after January's game, and the league has been holding talks with the players' union about the future of the game.
League sources had told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen in April that the league was likely to suspend the Pro Bowl, but NFL executive Ray Anderson said Wednesday that the union wanted to keep the game going and preferred it be held in Hawaii.
"The players believe that the Pro Bowl is an important tradition," NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth said in a statement. "We worked hard with the league to make sure the best players in the NFL are honored for their achievements on the field."
The AFC routed the NFC 59-41 in last season's Pro Bowl, which drew boos at Aloha Stadium for its lack of early intensity.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had said that some of his NFC teammates "embarrassed themselves" with the effort they gave in the game.
The game still draws solid TV ratings, but isn't considered a money-maker. Although viewership dropped 8.1 percent in January, the Pro Bowl still was the highest-rated sports program of the weekend.
San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York questioned his followers on Twitter about their feelings toward the Pro Bowl, concluding from their responses that there "doesn't seem to be much love."
"We will support the players on this initiative to improve the Pro Bowl," Anderson, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, said in Wednesday's statement. "We have had many discussions with the players in recent years about the Pro Bowl and they recognize that the quality of the game has not been up to NFL standards. We look forward to working with the players toward the goal of improving the competitiveness of this season's game."
This year's game will be broadcast live on NBC at 7 p.m. ET and serve as the kickoff event for the Super Bowl, which will be played Feb. 3 in New Orleans.
