The NFL’s 2021 Pro Bowl is going virtual. For the first time ever, the all-star game will be contested on Madden NFL 21, and players will be invited to compete. The lines between sports and e-sports have been blurring more and more recently, with the NFL showing a willingness to work with EA Sports to make an impact in an increasingly lucrative market.
The NFL hasn’t announced all of the details yet, but they’ve made it clear that this will be a star-studded event with current players and legends, celebrities, and even streamers coming together across the week to compete. EA Sports will be releasing Pro Bowl rosters, featuring all of the players voted to the game, for use throughout the week while also providing access to gamers across the world.
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The main event of the week will be a virtual Pro Bowl, which will aim to replicate its real-life counterpart with NFC players competing against AFC players on Madden NFL 21. This will be streamed live and available for fans around the world to watch.
Pro Bowl rosters will be decided by a combination of votes from fans, players, and coaches, with each group’s votes contributing one-third to the final decision. The virtual nature of the event will allow players from teams represented in the Super Bowl to participate.
When is the 2021 Pro Bowl?
The NFL Pro Bowl was originally scheduled to take place on January 31, 2021 — the weekend between the NFL’s Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl. At this present time, the NFL has not confirmed whether the replacement event will take place on the same day.
Where is the game taking place?
The 2021 Pro Bowl was originally supposed to be played at Allegiant Stadium, the new home of the Las Vegas Raiders. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic still casting a dark cloud over the season, on October 14, 2020, the NFL announced that the game would be canceled and that Las Vegas would instead play host to the 2022 Pro Bowl.
This was due to be the first time the event was hosted in Las Vegas. The Pro Bowl moved to Hawaii in 1980 and, with the exception of a year in Miami and one in Phoenix, stayed there until 2017. At that point, the decision was made to move the game to Orlando, where the most recent four games have been held.
How to vote for the 2021 Pro Bowl
Fan voting is already open for the 2021 Pro Bowl, and you will be able to choose your favorite players until December 17.
You can cast your vote in any of several ways:
- Go to NFL.com/ProBowlVote and make your selections
- Via Madden NFL 21 on consoles or Madden NFL 21 Mobile
- Via Twitter from December 1 by adding #ProBowlVote to a tweet which has your chosen player’s first name and last name, Twitter handle, or a hashtag which includes the players first name and last name
Fans are able to vote as many times as they wish, and the NFL encourages you to do so to ensure your favorite players are selected for the virtual event.
When are the rosters announced?
While we don’t know the exact date that the NFL Pro Bowl 2021 rosters will be announced, we do know that fan voting closes on December 17. Players and coaches will submit their votes on December 18, and the results should begin to be released in the next few days.
How do I watch the Pro Bowl?
The NFL has announced that the event will be streamed live on multiple platforms. More information on how to watch will be released nearer the time.