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Hawaii NFL Pro Bowl
It’s a game of the gridiron giants - Pro Bowl is an NFL
(National Football League) all-star game that pits top
players of the American Football Conference (AFC)
against top players of the National Football Conference.
Alternatively called AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, it is played a
week after the Superbowl.
The first Pro Bowl match was played in 1939 between the
NY Giants (1939s season champ) and a selection of
players. The game was played at Wrigley field in Los
Angeles, California. From 1940-1942, it was played twice
a year. The January game was a match between last year’s
champion; the December match was against the new
champions. From 1943-1950, no Pro Bowl matches were
organized; Pro Bowl was continued starting in 1951.
The venues of the Pro Bowl changed every year. Since
1980, however, the nationally televised Pro Bowl is
played at the 50,000-seat Aloha Stadium on Oahu, Hawaii,
a week after the Super Bowl. NFL, however, has decided
to slate the all-star event to be played a week before
the Super Bowl and be moved to the host city of the
Super Bowl, the Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida,
starting in 2010.
The Pro Bowl, which is part of the NFL season-ending
celebration, is preceded by a week of activities,
including autograph-signing by celebrities and parties.
Player Selection
From 1980 until 1995, only coaches and players were
involved in player selection. Since 1995, however, fans
can join the player selection by casting their ballots
at NFL’s official website.
Gridiron legends who have joined the Hawaii Pro Bowl
include Howie Long, Lawrence Taylor, Peyton Manning and
Reggie White. Past MVPs include Dan Fouts, Phil Simms,
Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Michael Irvin, Jerry Rice and
Adrian Peterson.
The Play
Since the Hawaii Pro Bowl is played at the end of the
season, it is considered the last game of the year.
Popular opinion holds that players treat the game more
like a friendly match than a battle that needs to be won
aggressively. The less offensive plays are seen as a
tactic by players to avoid getting injuries, which could
prevent them from playing in the next season or even put
an end to their football careers.
The past years, however, have seen a change from soft to
more aggressive plays, with game scores like 10-6 and
17-3 or scores below 49.
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