MLB All-Star Game remains staple of such contests as NFL, NBA struggle to find identity

Have you seen enough “professional” All-Star games?

I used the term loosely, make that very loosely, for Major League sports in the United States.

Under their current auspices, most of those games should be rebranded as “showcases,” rather than All-Star games.

The NFL Pro Bowl has become a joke.

We are now reduced to watching a flag football game, for Pete’s sake. The latter is a nod to former commissioner Pete Rozelle, who presided over the league when New Orleans was admitted to the fraternity. Rozelle surely would be appalled by what we are witnessing today.

Football is a contact sport.

No one wants to see star players get hurt.

At the same time, physicality is the very nature, at the very core of football. It is what the sport is and it is what attracts the most viewers to its product of any professional sport in the United States.

Prior to going to the flag format, the league tried to continue to play games of alleged tackle football that had little or no resemblance to the game Americans love.

On top of that, the process of electing players to the Pro Bowl has changed radically and many players opt out.

We used to judge NFL players, in some corners, based on how many Pro Bowls they were selected to play in.

That is clearly no longer the case.

With all due respect to Andrus Peat, he has been selected to three Pro Bowls.

Does anyone truly feel he is that good, much less available to play?

I stopped watching the Pro Bowl many years ago. It is a pointless exercise, void of entertainment or substantive value.

The league would be better off to have no game as opposed to playing flag football.

The NHL All-Star game is not awful but it does not resemble a real NHL game.

No one checks anyone, skaters skate freely and score freely.

While the skill is appreciated, it is not what pure hockey fans enjoy watching throughout the course of a season and playoffs.

The league has gone to a semifinals and finals format, pitting teams from each of the four divisions against each other.

At least there is divisional competition.

This past weekend, we witnessed the NBA All-Star game.

Gone are the days of conference pride and vicious rivalries spilling over into the All-Star game with players competing at incredibly high levels.

The game is now a score festival, with no one even attempting to play defense until the closing minutes.

Thus, the final score of 184-175 is an indication of what the exhibition has become.

Players launch 35 to 40 foot jumpers.

Players dunk in uncontested fashion.

Players laugh.

Perhaps some are entertained by it all.

Once again, I fully understand the magnitude of trying to avoid injury and what it means to teams moving forward.

Still, I watched for a while and turned it off.

I will wait to watch the Pelicans play a real game, playing really hard, at Toronto Thursday as the season resumes.

That is real NBA basketball.

The All-Star game, once a fun game to watch, is boring.

If you want to watch 3-point shooting, watch the 3-point shooting contest.

If you want to watch specific skills, watch the skills competition.

If you want to watch a bunch of dunks, watch the slam dunk contest.

The current NBA All-Star game has become a combination of those elements. It is not a game.

The reaction to the game on social media reflected that from many, many true fans of the game.

Denver coach Mike Malone, coaching the losing team, told the truth.

“It’s an honor to be here,” Malone said. “It’s an honor to be a part of the great weekend, great players. But that is the worst basketball game ever played. I don’t know how you can fix it. No one got hurt, they put on a show for the fans, but that is a tough game to sit through. I’m not going to lie.”

Thank you, Mike, for telling the truth.

The truth is that there is one All-Star game that remains compelling to watch, aside from soccer.

That is the Major League Baseball All-Star game.

Sure, coaches try to play their entire rosters but those competing play at regular game levels.

Pitchers throw 95-100 miles per hour and uncork nasty breaking balls and off-speed pitches.

Defenses play well. Pitchers and catchers do their best to nullify the running game.

Despite the advent of interleague play, there is still league pride, with the American and National Leagues competing for superiority.

Offense is hard to come by against the best pitching in the game.

You see, it can be done.

Major League Baseball shows us that.

You can play the game the way it is supposed to be played, under regular conditions, and present a good product in-season.

The NFL is the only one of the games to be played out of season, after the season is over, except for the Super Bowl. That amplifies the reason why players should play and not be concerned with injuries with many months before the next season would be begin.

You can still play the game with some caution while playing hard.

I will always watch the Major League Baseball All-Star game because it is true baseball and truly competitive.

Kudos to Major League Soccer for giving us a real game and product.

The NHL version is okay, pitting divisions against each other.

As for the NFL and NBA, it is back to the drawing board to try to save everyone from being bored beyond belief.