All-Star mentality needs to change

The All-Star format in professional sports can leave a lot to be desired for each league's respective fans. The concept of a game with the best-on-best format is a tease in that the quality of play will be at that of a higher level.

The reality, however, is that they are a caricature of the games they represent. Major League Baseball (MLB) features a different pitcher every inning or so, while batters only make two plate appearances per game. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is an all-offense game where defense is suspect at the best of times and non-existent the rest. Players drive uncontested through open lanes to the basket and throw open jump shots away for alley-oops.

Defense is also a problem in the National Hockey Leagues's (NHL) All-Star showcase. Stretch passes seem to always find a floating forward for a breakaway or at the very least an odd-man rush. The only players who get a workout are the goalies who get hung out to dry for the one period of action they see.

The National Football League (NFL) has the Pro Bowl which might be the best excuse in professional sports to go to Hawaii. It also might be the worst of the All-Star game festivities. Like the NBA and MLB, the NFL pits conference against conference in their bid for superiority. The NHL recently converted to their schoolyard style of picking teams. While it's the most complex, it adds another television highlight to the weekend where fans can watch the draft before the events begin.

Player rosters for the games are usually met with some controversy. Fans decide at least some portion of the roster, while the remainder is named by the league. The Pro Bowl this year will leave Tim Tebow off the roster. Love him or hate him, his fourth quarter heroics for Denver became the story of the season. Tebow threw for only 12 touchdowns this year, but rushed for 660 yards and six majors. Philip Rivers threw 20 interceptions this year while only connecting for 27 touchdowns, but still got the nod over the Denver Disciple.

The absence of Tebow from the game removes one of the most popular players from the annual showcase. The other glaring absence is that of Detroit's Matt Stafford. The Lions went 10-6 this year, with Stafford becoming one of only three quarterback's to throw for over 5,000 yards.

Every other sport except the NFL boasts a competition of skills comparable in popularity to the game itself. Some people, myself included, won't tune in for the All-Star game, but would much rather watch Blake Griffin jump over a car to win the Slam Dunk competition, Zdeno Chara blast a 100 mph plus slap shot, or see Robinson Cano hit 12 bombs in the Home Run Derby finals.

What the All-Star game concept fails to stir up is a desire to come out victorious. The NHL's new system of drafting teams was supposed to be a way to increase competitiveness in the game. While it may have, the best idea is to make the game meaningful to the players. In the MLB for instance the winning side of the All-Star game achieves home field advantage in the World Series.

While some call that unfair, it would be difficult to find a way to put any more weight on the outcomes of the games. Until that day comes, the games will remain the same as they are now – disinteresting.