In the US, each major sport has its fair share of unique rules. The number, length, and intensity of games differ greatly between the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB, but the rules seem to agree on at least one thing—the inclusion of an All-Star game. However, no matter the timing or format of All-Star games, leagues just can’t get people to watch. Each league has taken at least some steps towards fixing the lack of competitiveness plaguing their games, but current formats are not perfect and must be further scrutinized. Looking at the games as a monolith, the leagues must somehow institute fair incentives for competitive play, or else All-Star games will continue to be a bore.
In 2002, MLB’s All-Star game hit the first major snag of the twenty-first century. After 11 innings, both teams exhausted their reserves, and fans in Milwaukee threw bottles onto the field in protest. The subsequent year, Commissioner Bud Selig and the teams decided that the All-Star game would finally have some stakes—it would decide home-field advantage for the World Series. Despite this incentive, which was recently removed, the ratings for the game have yet to improve, and the game’s powers-that-be continue to search for answers.
One facet of MLB’s All-Star weekend that seems to work is the Home Run Derby, which reliably draws viewers as more of a spectacle than the game itself. Similarly, the NBA runs their All-Star Saturday Night events, including the Three-Point Contest, the Slam Dunk Contest, and the Skills Challenge, with more success than the game itself. However, the Dunk Contest has run into similar problems in recent years due to its lack of competition. The history of the Dunk Contest exists as a good reference point nonetheless, from when it was a great draw with legends such as Vince Carter and Michael Jordan participating. Now, with the likes of LeBron James not likely to ever accept an invite, the contest must be reformed just as the games themselves.
In the NBA, the All-Star games have run into a different host of problems, with the same lack of interest from the fans. While many fans lament the lack of meaning among regular season games, there is no doubt that tuning into the final quarter of a close game will invariably provide entertainment. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the All-Star game. The average All-Star contest is nothing more than a glorified shootaround, with combined final scores reaching the 300’s. Currently, the only real purpose of the All-Star game is to provide some rest for the majority of non-participating players.
This year, the NBA tried to spice up the proceedings by having two captains (the leading vote-getters in each conference) select players from the starters and reserves to form teams. While this did create some buzz initially, most of that excitement was quelled when the NBA announced it had no intention to televise the selection process, and wouldn’t even publicize a draft order. If the NBA is too afraid to take a risk at the expense of possibly hurting some All-Star’s feelings, they will never have a successful All-Star game.
These problems, coupled with too many to mention from the NFL and NHL, spell a dark future for All-Star games. In the recent past, no attempt to reform the games by any league has been successful, as ratings continue to show a lack of real improvement. Two possible solutions stick out. Leagues could either stick with the Home Run Derby or Three Point Contest ideas and add a few more side events, replacing the All-Star games entirely, or the games should be canceled entirely. These games have become pointless, and must not continue for the sanity of sports fans everywhere.