HONOLULU -- The NFL has asked the state to look at changing the date of the Pro Bowl in 2009.

There is speculation in the pro sports world that the NFL could move the Pro Bowl away from Hawaii as well.

For more than a quarter of a century, the Pro Bowl has generated major exposure for the Islands during the winter season and brought millions of dollars to the state.

The Pro Bowl has been criticized as an all-star game that has no value, compared to Major League Baseball and basketball.

The NFL is now looking at changing the date of the Pro Bowl from one week after the Super Bowl to one week before it.

"(The players) are going to be showcased in the greatest game of all, which is the Super Bowl. This is an opportunity for us to showcase our other great athletes the week before the Super Bowl, leading up to that and finishing on a very climactic note with the Super Bowl," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told ESPN.

Goodell said that the dates of the 2008 Pro Bowl in Hawaii are firm.

"It won't happen this year, just because we have commitments, both to the state of Hawaii, and to our broadcast partners, but it's something we would look for as soon as 2009," Goodell told ESPN.

Sports commentators and bloggers speculate that the NFL may move the Pro Bowl away from Hawaii, holding it in the same city as the Super Bowl for maximum promotional value.

"I have not heard anything regarding that, and to my way of thinking, that is speculation, but they have not mentioned that to me in any way, shape or form," Hawaii Tourism Authority President Rex Johnson said.

Johnson said the NFL asked him about changing the dates of the Pro Bowl in Hawaii in 2009. He said he will have more detailed discussions with NFL officials later this month.

"I think there are mutual benefits on both sides, and we would like to see the Pro Bowl remain here, but we're certainly not going to be negotiating in the news media," Johnson said.

The state paid the NFL roughly $4 million a year to host the Pro Bowl, which the state said generates about $30 million in visitor spending and another $3 million in tax revenue.