The NFL Pro Bowl will host its annual All-Star festivities at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the new home of the Las Vegas Raiders, and host to the next Pro Bowl on January 31, 2021. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Raiders recently released a “hype video” to fire up fans about the silver and black’s new home.
The 2021 Pro Bowl will be aired on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN Deportes.
The NFL moved the Pro Bowl from Hawaii to Orlando, Florida in 2017. Camping World Stadium in Orlando hosted the Pro Bowl for the past four seasons.
For 36 seasons starting in 1980, Aloha Stadium in Oahu hosted the annual Pro Bowl. The best of the best across the league (not playing in the Super Bowl) would converge on Hawaii for a relaxing week of festivities after a long season.
“We look forward to partnering with the Raiders and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority to bring the excitement of Pro Bowl week to our Las Vegas fans and community for the first time,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL EVP of club business and league events.
Raiders Always Rebels
The Raiders have been the bad boys of the NFL since their origins as the bad-asses of the old AFL. Owner Al Davis, perpetually clad in black, was a true rebel. He pissed off the establishment and old guard more times than anyone could count.
Davis added more enemies to his vast roster of adversaries in 1982 when he moved the Raiders from Oakland in the Bay Area to Los Angeles. NoCal and SoCal have always been rivals, and denizens of the Bay Area have a special hatred for anything to do with Los Angeles.
When LA wouldn’t build him a new stadium, Davis bounced from SoCal and returned to Oakland in 1995. After Davis passed away, his son Mark took over. When comparing the Davis family to the Corleone clan in the “Godfather” movies, Mark is more “Fredo” than Pacino’s cold and calculating Michael Corleone.
After 20-plus years of politicking, and Alameda County refusing to build the Raiders a new stadium on the taxpayers’ dime, Davis pulled a move out of his father’s old playbook. He threatened to move the Raiders. He considered SoCal once again, but headed to the Nevada desert instead.
Raiders Hype Video
It really doesn’t take much to hype up the awesomeness of Las Vegas. You either love Sin City, or you loathe it. And, if you’ve actually lived in the Las Vegas valley, then you’ve probably developed a true love/hate relationship with the world’s gambling mecca.
Las Vegas will now have two professional sports teams. The Vegas Golden Knights became Sin City’s first major league pro team when they hit the ice for the first time at the start of the 2017-18 season.
Las Vegas expects to see its first NFL team in action this fall. The Raiders had a very strong 2020 NFL Draft and have several exciting young players like running back Josh Jacobs. If/when the NFL season begins, Raiders games at Allegiant Stadium will likely play out without fans. Locals and tourists might have to wait until 2021 to get the full immersive experience in the newest stadium to pepper the Vegas skyline.
In the meantime, here’s the latest hype video that the Raiders released on social media.
According to an update by William Hill, the Las Vegas Raiders are 50/1 odds to win the 2021 Super Bowl.