Orlando’s hopes of bringing the NFL to Camping World Stadium were ambitious and big. A regular season game could still be a long way off. A preseason game might be more realistic.
The NFL Pro Bowl? That appears to be a reality.
The NFL will reportedly announce it will move the Pro Bowl from Honolulu, Hawai’i to Camping World Stadium, according to Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg Sports.
BREAKING: @NFL moving Pro Bowl to Orlando from Honolulu, sources say. Houston, Honolulu and Sydney also showed interest #NFL #sportsbiz
— Scott Soshnick (@soshnick) May 19, 2016
Florida Citrus Sports is not confirming whether the decision is official. The announcement would likely come from the NFL first.
"We have nothing to announce at this time and the announcement, if we are selected, will likely be made by the NFL."–Florida Citrus Sports
— Despina (@DespinaBarton) May 19, 2016
So everyone will wait for an official announcement from the league. But it appears the writing is on the wall.
Orlando quickly put together a bid for the Pro Bowl when the NFL made it known it would open up bidding for the annual all star event. Typically held in Honolulu, Hawai’i, the league has been looking for a better way to engage fans and its players for the event. Despite criticism, the game still usually wins television ratings that evening.
Orlando and Orange County quickly moved to submit a bid with Orange County approving funds for the bid through the tourist development tax in the last month.
Orlando is obviously an attractive location. It has good weather in January, plus the hotel rooms to host players, their families and fans. It is a good place to host a big event like this. Especially since the NFL is still a draw in Orlando even though the city does not have a team — or a natural team nearby.
It is another big event for Camping World Stadium.
Within the next year, Camping World Stadium will host the inaugural Camping World Kickoff Game on Labor Day between Florida State and Ole Miss, its usual trio of bowl games, Orlando City’s second season, the Pro Bowl and Wrestlemania 33.
That is quite a lineup of events for Orlando to host.
