I was fortunate enough to experience the last ever Pro Bowl in Hawaii—an event so cared for by the 50th state that I ended up having to get out of a shared rental car on the highway about a mile from Aloha Stadium and hike my way to the parking lot to get there on time. It meant something to the players who were there. The game, like most, was not memorable. But the symbolism of the moment seemed to resonate with a majority of those who were voted in.
I was also fortunate enough to cover the first Pro Bowl in Orlando, and while the vibe was certainly different, there was also a sense that this was a destination, both for the players who were exposed to practice crowds three times the size of the ones they saw in Hawaii and for their families, who had unfettered access to Disney’s parks and entertainment.