Professional sports’ least-exciting all-star game is nearly upon us. On Tuesday evening, the world will know the latest crop of NFL Pro Bowl selections.
Pro Bowl 2017 rosters: Time, TV schedule, and live stream for announcement show
As a reward for their exemplary play, the NFL is sending its best and brightest to Orlando.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The 2017 Pro Bowl roster selection show is set to take place at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on the NFL Network. League officials will unveil the 88 players making the trip to Orlando on Jan. 29.
The 2017 version of the game will return to the AFC vs. NFC format the exhibition has abandoned over the past three years. Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, and Cris Carter all took turns selecting their teams from 2014-2016, but the gimmick didn’t lead to more viewers. Last year’s game drew the Pro Bowl’s lowest ratings in 10 years.
While the game itself is returning to a more traditional format, the rest of the all-star weekend will have plenty of events aimed at garnering attention. The biggest addition this winter is a playground sport where the league’s best athletes will dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge their way to an Epic Pro Bowl Dodgeball championship. Other skills challenges, like the Power Relay Challenge, Precision Passing, and Best Hands competitions will round out the schedule.
But after decades of players mingling with hula dancers and getting lei’d, this year’s Pro Bowl will have an entirely mainland feel. The NFL moved the game from Honolulu to central Florida, where it will take place at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The stadium has a history of hosting football games no one watches; it was the home of University of Central Florida football from 1979 to 2006.
The game itself will take place the week before the Super Bowl, meaning some of the best players from the league’s top two teams won’t be able to make it. If current odds (and point differential) are to be believed, players like Ezekiel Elliott and Tom Brady shouldn’t book their flights to Florida just yet.
But standout players on already eliminated teams like the Browns, Jets, 49ers, Jaguars, Rams, and Bengals can figure out if they’re spending late January in the Sunshine State once the NFL unveils its picks Tuesday.
2016 Pro Bowl selection show
Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: NFL Network
Online: NFLNetwork.com
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