Today, the NFL announced that this year’s Pro Bowl will be going digital. The 2021 NFL Pro Bowl will be played in Madden 21.
The Pro Bowl may look different this year, but the best players will still be recognized. Your vote helps decide who gets a spot on the roster. Vote today at https://t.co/Sbk1rren24. #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/oApytNZIhD
— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2020
In a lot of ways, the Pro Bowl will be the same. Players, coaches, and fans will all get to vote for players they think went above and beyond with their play this season. Players who receive the most votes will receive an invitation to join their conferences’ Pro Bowl team. However, instead of having some of the league’s greatest players get together in the middle of a deadly pandemic, this year’s winners will make up Madden 21’s 2021 Pro Bowl rosters.
This year’s digital Pro Bowl will be much more like a festival than a one day event. EA describes it as such in its official press release:
“EA SPORTS and the NFL will create a week-long series of matchups featuring celebrities, NFL Legends, current players, and streamers playing as the official Pro Bowl rosters in Madden NFL 21. These matchups will culminate in an action-packed virtual Pro Bowl game played with 2021 Pro Bowl players facing off within Madden NFL 21.”
EA Sports will be dropping Madden 21 Pro Bowl tie-in content as well. Madden 21 has leaned into the live game content model with it’s Szns. A week-long Pro Bowl event with Madden 21 exclusives feels like more celebration than the Pro Bowl has ever been in real life. The best part of a virtual Pro Bowl? No fear of injuries, so all-star players aren’t discouraged from “attending.”
How to Vote
Fans will have multiple ways to vote, including:
- On NFL.com/ProBowlVote
- Through Madden NFL 21 Mobile and Madden NFL 21 on consoles. Plus, Madden NFL players will see Pro Bowl voting content and announcements in-game throughout the duration of the voting period, with more ways Madden NFL fans can play an active role in virtual in-game roster additions to come.
- Directly on Twitter during the final two weeks of voting (December 1 – December 17). Fans can vote directly on Twitter by tweeting the first and last name of the player, tagging the player’s official Twitter handle or creating a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. All three of these methods must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote.
Players and coaches will cast their votes on December 18. Each conference will have 88 players: 42 on offense, 36 on defense, and 10 on special teams.
The NFL, ESPN and ABC will continue their working partnership on year’s virtual Pro Bowl. More details on when these events will air will be announced at a later date.
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