If there is one place that people would pick as the ideal vacation spot in the United States, it is likely the state of Hawaii. However, coming in a close second is Orlando, Florida and it looks like football fans might have an even bigger reason to visit there next January.
According to George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel, the city is currently bidding to possibly host the 2017 Pro Bowl. If this were to happen, it would be the second time in four years that the game was held in Florida and just the second time since 1978 that it was not held in Hawaii.
“We’ve been very aggressively trying to showcase Orlando,” Steve Hogan, Florida Citrus Sports CEO, told the newspaper. “We believe it is the best city to host the Pro Bowl, and the NFL has given us the opportunity to pitch our city. We hope when all is said and done, we’re going to be hosting the game.”
Most fans already see the game as a free vacation for the players invited to the game, so if this were to happen, some of those fans complaining might have a more realistic opportunity to see the game live. It looks like this has been a big reason for the recent renovations at the Citrus Bowl.
“Yes there are conversations about relocating the Pro Bowl to Orlando and we are extremely supportive of that,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said. “That is exactly why we felt it was important to rebuild the Citrus Bowl, and why we think we are one of the best sporting destinations in the country.”
A $207 million makeover began on the stadium in January 2014 and it has led the city winning many bidding wars. The biggest of those wars have been home games for MLS team Orlando City Lions, a sold-out Rolling Stones concert in 2015, and WWE’s Super Bowl, Wrestlemania 33 next year.
If the NFL wants to change things up and bring the Pro Bowl back to the mainland, why not put it in the same city that plays home to Mickey Mouse?
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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
