Road Trip: The 2015 Pro Bowl

The Pro Bowl is a fun filled week of activities for the football fan…or at least it was when I went back in 1995 and 1996. Back then, it was held in Honolulu, Hawaii and it was pretty much five days of football fun set in the most beautiful tropic resort area in the United States. If you tired of schmoozing with retired NFL greats or shooting the Pro Bowl Cheerleaders, you could always check out one of the many attractions that Hawaii has to offer or hang out in the North Shore, like I did.

Good times.

So when I heard that the Pro Bowl was coming to Glendale, Arizona, I was intrigued by the possibilities. And when Mad Max, our former Arizona Correspondent who now lives in the Midwest, invited me to go to the game, I was excited at the prospect of shooting the Pro Bowl Cheerleaders once again and checking out this new fangled, NFL fantasy football game they now call the Pro Bowl.

Well to make a long story short, the game is not what it once was and the NFL may be struggling to figure out how to maintain the Pro Bowl’s relevance in an era where All Star games are more like MTV’s old Rock N’ Jock than real sports play.

At least the Pro Bowl Cheerleaders were the same…and by that I mean top notch!

I will say this about the Pro Bowl, the vibe at this game was fun and mellow. Fans of all teams mingled together in the Gameday Fan Plaza, sharing stories of the season and generally having a great time together. There was none of the usual alcohol induced bravado or animus that you normally experience at a regular season game. It was chill and people were having a good time, a good time with fans from other teams.

And another thing I liked about this Pro Bowl game in Glendale, AZ was that it was in the evening and the weather was pleasantly mild. In Honolulu, the game is in the afternoon and it can be very hot and humid…the last time I was there, I got dehydrated and to take it easy the rest of the day in my hotel room after the game. Not a problem this time.

I got to hang with Mad Max and his friend. I met Pro Bowl Dan. I had dinner with my niece who is a student at ASU. Went to the NFL Experience with 10,000 other football fans.

Good times.

Oh. I suppose you aren’t as interested in hearing about my Pro Bowl weekend as you are in seeing photos of the Pro Bowl Cheerleaders…well here you go…the 2015 Pro Bowl Cheerleaders.

First Quarter

Second Quarter

Third Quarter

Fourth Quarter

I didn’t get to photograph any cheerleaders in the fourth quarter as the entire crew of Pro Bowl Cheerleaders relocated to the third level where a huge stage was erected. They performed up there for the remainder of the game, so my apologies to that fourth line.

I will say this about the new Pro Bowl…it is more like an MTV Rock N’ Jock game in that at every dead ball period, the stadium DJ (yes, they had a DJ there) played music and the Pro Bowl Cheerleaders danced. They danced much more than at a regular season game and more than I can recall at those Pro Bowl games back in the 90’s…and that was cool.

More good times!

*                 *                *                *                *

For more cheerleader articles, please visit my personal blog: thehottestdanceteam.wordpress.com.
More 2015 Pro Bowl photos will be posted there on Feb. 1st.