Pro Bowl to be played in Hawaii again

The National Football League and its players union announced Wednesday the Pro Bowl would be played again in Honolulu next season. Despite recent discussions within the league concerning the possibility the game had outlived its usefulness, the contest will be contested once more at Aloha Stadium on Jan. 27 -- the Sunday before the Super Bowl. A general lack of effort during the game last season and the absence of many of the sport's stars only increased the talk among league officials that the Pro Bowl's negatives now outweighed the positives. Ray Anderson, the NFL executive vice president of football operations, said Wednesday players had made it clear they want to keep playing the game and also want it to stay in Hawaii. "We have had many discussions with the players in recent years about the Pro Bowl and they recognize that the quality of the game has not been up to NFL standards," Anderson said.