The NFL was able to get the Miami Dolphins to move their August 25th preseason game against Atlanta to Orlando as a dry run for the 2017 Pro Bowl.
The biggest news coming out of the NFL on Wednesday was that the annual Pro Bowl game will have a new home in 2017, as the league is moving the game yet again from Hawai’i, this time to Orlando, Florida.
While the previous two moves to Miami and Glendale, AZ were one year deals, this move seems to be a long term change for the NFL’s all-star game.
The Pro Bowl isn’t the only pro game moving to Central Florida during the upcoming season. As a way to see how the stadium needs to be staffed for a NFL game, the league got the Miami Dolphins to move their August 25th preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons up the road from South Florida:
We will host the @AtlantaFalcons at @CWStadium on August 25th. pic.twitter.com/p2znoilZ22
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) June 1, 2016
The move is a win-win in the eyes of both the NFL and the Dolphins. For the league, moving a game that is scheduled to be nationally televised (NBC will still be broadcasting the game even with the move) gives them a chance to see what needs work before one of their bigger events of the year.
For the Dolphins, it’s a chance to give workers another week to put the finishing touches on the stadium renovations that are schedule to be finished for the 2016 season. Miami is scheduled to play the New York Giants in the final preseason game the following week before not returning until September 25th for their regular season home opener.
Orlando officials have made it their goal to land NFL football as part of the massive renovations to what was formerly known as the Citrus Bowl stadium. The venue has already landed several top regular season college games (FSU-Ole Miss this year to go with Alabama in 2018 and Florida-Miami in 2019).
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