I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!!!!!!!!! (notice the blatant sarcasm)
With a few notable exceptions, the all star games in these sports (and the NBA in a few weeks) are an absolute sham. They are nothing more than corporate schmoozing events to get (even more) money out of their already generous sponsors. To achieve this, they stage a series of events (such as Super Skills or a "legends" flag football game in Hawaii) that are supposed to get fans interested, excited, and ready to spend.
The All Star Break for most involved is just that, a break. It's a time to recharge the batteries, spend some time with family, and heal up some injuries after more than half of the regular season behind us. Most fans of the sport, especially of a daily sport like hockey and basketball, also welcome the break to see if they can find something else to do with their weeknights without worryiing about missing a big game. The all star "games" that we speak of are mostly devoid of the elements that make us like the sport in the first place. In hockey, it's no defense, no hitting, players going half-speed, and games ending with ridiculous scores like 9-8 or 8-7. In the NBA, it's just superstars trying to one-up each other in terms of 3-point shooting, cross over dribbles, and slam dunks (despite the fact that there are dedicated events for all of those skills the night before). As a result, this all star game typically has scores in the 150s and up...any higher and we're talking about pinball machines. A look at football (and baseball) after the jump.
The NFL Pro Bowl is the epitome of bad all star games (kind of a nice lead in to my post on bad Super Bowls next week...are you sick of the plugs yet?). Check out these rule changes for this so-called "football game."
-No blitzing
-At least 1 tight end on each play
-Intentional grounding is legal
-4 defensive linemen on every play
-No presnap motion
-No rushing a scrimmage kick (FG or PAT)
Are you sure this is football? I know that it's an all star game, and most of the players are just happy to get a free trip to Hawaii and want to go home in one piece, but give me a break...at least put on a front that you are trying to play a real football game. The Pro Bowl is such a sham that the fact that anybody watches it.....nevermind.
The one notable exception...granted, I didn't see this until it came out on Youtube...was when Sean Taylor absolutely lit up Brian Moorman, the Bills punter in 2007. The AFC thought they could be sneaky and run a fake punt in the 3rd quarter. Sean Taylor had none of it. Check it out:
Now, the most notable exception to this all star game phenomenon is baseball. The MLB All Star Game is the one all star event that really matters. No, really, it matters. It is legislated into the rules of the game. After the fiasco in 2002 where both sides ran out of pitchers and the game ended in...A TIE(!!!), MLB for the next season dictated that the team that wins the All Star Game gets home field advantage in the World Series. I actually like that ploy. It forces managers and players (especially those on contending teams) to take the All Star Game seriously, because as we have seen, many a playoff series has gone to a 7th game. Home field advantage can matter in the baseball playoffs. However, even before this gimmick, the All Star Game in baseball mattered. It was a part of the fabric of the game ever since the time of Babe Ruth. In fact, they used to even play 2 All Star Games in a single season. Even the lead-up events hold significance, such as the home run derby on Monday. Even I enjoy watching the home run derby. The other reason is matters is because most fans can see a large portion of the season, and then vote on who really deserves to be an all star...unlike football which begins voting at week 6, or basketball and hockey which only allows fan voting on 5 or 6 players respectively per league. In baseball you can vote for up to 20.
In a way, the other leagues are trying to mimic the success that baseball's All Star Game has had through the years, but to no avail. Most NFL players scoff at the notion of a "Pro Bowl" bid (players in the Super Bowl don't even get the "honor" of attending). The NHL players loathe the notion of an all star game...to the point that in an Olympic season, they don't even hold the event (and they get an extra long break provided they are not playing in the Olympics). The NBA All Star Weekend is nice for a few laughs, and the slam dunk contest is sometimes fun to watch, but the game itself is just a joke. There's no defense in the NBA as it is, and the All Star Game is the absolute worst.
In the end, all star games are interesting to watch, but if you enjoy watching sports because you are a fan of a good game, then all star games are not for you.
Pretty spot-on analysis. The NBA All-Star weekend used to be 2nd to baseball, and in fact in the 80's and early 90's, I would have put it at 1A to baseball in top All-Star events. The Pro-Bowl is a joke and I think the NHL event is somewhat gimmicky, although it will be intriguing if they continue the playground-style team picking.
ReplyDeleteThat WAS an awesome hit. Maybe Moorman is the one that called in the hit that put a couple bullets in Taylor's ballsack?
ReplyDelete@ Kent-Yes, because of course we all know a punter from Buffalo was in cahoots with some kid named Mr. Florida in South Beach.
ReplyDelete@ Josh-I might actually end up watching just to see how long I can last...is there any good college basketball on tomorrow?
There isn't usually any college B-Ball on Sundays. You are stuck watching either the NHL All-Star game or the NFL Flag Football All-Star game. Pick your poison.
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