Every major sports league has its own version of it. The NFL has the Pro-Bowl, the NHL and NBA have “All-Star Weekends,” and MLB has about a week of stuff. But why? Does anybody actually watch for more than ten minutes or until the starters are pulled because their coaches don’t want to see them hurt? Can anybody actually get hurt with all the extra rules?
The point is, “All-Star” events have no incentive. The MVPs usually get some sort of award like a donation to a charity or something like that, but how does that affect the fans who want to see some serious action that should accompany these headlining superstars? It doesn’t really.
Here’s a proposition for them. Give them something to play for.
My solution puts the Pro-Bowl back after the Super Bowl. The winning conference gets to have one of their teams host the next season’s Super Bowl. The NHL, gaining popularity thanks to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, holds an annual New Year’s Day outdoor game. Winning conference gets to have one of their teams host the next Winter Classic. (Sense a pattern yet?)
MLB and the NBA both have special events too that they could wager on the outcome of their All-Star events.
The thing is, and I’m sure a lot of fans agree, there needs to be some incentive to make these events truly exciting.