Pro Bowl returning to Hawaii in January

PHOENIX — The Pro Bowl will return to Honolulu next January and again will be played the week before the Super Bowl.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday at the owners meetings that the all-star game he once considered scrapping has been scheduled for Aloha Stadium on Jan. 26. He added that Hawaii will be included “on some sort of rotational basis” in any future Pro Bowl scheduling.

“The NFL’s recent decision to return the NFL Pro Bowl to Hawaii in 2014 is great news for our tourism economy,” said Mike McCartney, president and CEO of Hawaii Tourism Authority. “The Pro Bowl in Hawaii is more than just a game; it generates worldwide media exposure for the Hawaiian Islands, contributes significant tax revenue and expenditures through visitor spending, boosts activity and revenue for local businesses, and offers an opportunity for residents to engage with players and experience a live professional football game.

“The NFL also gives back to our community through youth education programs, charitable contributions and events.”

Goodell was encouraged by the level of performance in this year’s game, won 62-35 by the NFC.

“They clearly made a very positive effort in the way they played the game this year,” Goodell said.

He added that the system for choosing the players won’t change, but some consideration has been given to having team captains select their rosters, rather than an AFC vs. NFC format.

“They have really come up with some very creative ideas,” Goodell said of players and staff members he has spoken to. “One was the idea that players are selected as they have been in the past, but the teams are decided through a draft. That could be done by a captain.

“To use an example from this past year we talked about was Peyton Manning picks one team and Eli Manning picks the other team.”

Team Manning the Elder vs. Team Manning the Younger, anyone?