The NFL announced in November that the annual all-star game, the Pro Bowl, would not fully take place due to COVID-19. Instead, the league would hold a virtual event using Madden NFL 21. Stars such as rapper Snoop Dogg and NASCAR‘s Bubba Wallace will face off in a unique competition that will test their video game skills.
According to ESPN, Dogg will join Deshaun Watson, Derrick Henry and former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson in controlling the AFC roster. Each player will have control of the team for one five-minute quarter. Wallace, Marshawn Lynch, Kyler Murray and Jamal Adams will control the NFC squad. Charissa Thompson and Michael Strahan will host the event and provide important commentary about the competition.
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AFC or NFC: Which Madden squad are you rolling with? 🎮🏈 #ProBowl: @EAMaddenNFL 21 Edition — Sunday 5PM ET on NFL social channels pic.twitter.com/25JXFGdvsc
— NFL (@NFL) January 27, 2021
The players will each control the team for their designated times from the comfort of their respective homes. The teams will be custom-created squads featuring real-life Pro Bowl rosters. This setup means that Dogg will have access to either Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes or Watson as his starting quarterback. Wallace will be able to control either Murray, Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers.
“We’ll be taking the Pro Bowl to the virtual world of Madden this weekend and I can’t wait to do it big with football fans in my favorite game,” Dogg said in a press release. “I’m a Madden NFL star. So Kyler and Marshawn better watch out, my team is comin’ in to win that championship title for the AFC.”
The virtual Pro Bowl will take place on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET and will stream on the EA Madden NFL Twitch channel and the NFL’s YouTube, Twitter and Facebook platforms. NFL Network will also air the virtual Pro Bowl game at 8 p.m. Sunday and 12:30 a.m. Monday. Prior to the game, the league will honor the Pro Bowl nominees from the 2020 season on ESPN and ABC with interviews with the players.
“We are transforming the Pro Bowl for fans everywhere and bringing another amazing NFL experience to life in the way only Madden NFL can,” Chris Bruzzo, Electonic Arts EVP of Marketing Commercial & Positive Play said in a November press release. “We’re excited to work closely with the NFL, our long-time partner, to move the Pro Bowl to the virtual fields of Madden NFL and be part of the first high-profile sporting event to go virtual.”
