Ranking North America’s All-Star games
All-Star games have taken on a special significance for athletes, coaches, journalists and fans. It provides a time to reflect on everything that has occurred so far in a sport’s respective season and what needs to be achieved in the future. Most of all, they allow the best of the best to showcase their talents and celebrate the game they play.
But the notion of an All-Star game is not perfect. The actual match can either be exciting or an absolute flop. Sometimes, the festivities surrounding the event might be more riveting than the game itself. There are also some All-Star games that aren’t even worth watching.
To help illustrate, the following list ranks the five major All-Star games in terms of importance, prestige and result.
Honourable Mention: AHL & NLL All-Star games
These two particular all-star affairs are “hit or miss.” It all depends on fan and media interest. The National Lacrosse League All-Star Game currently features a standard division vs. division matchup. Meanwhile, the American Hockey League uses a more unique concept with a team of Canadian players taking on a team of players born outside of Canada called “PlanetUSA.” Both matches fail to make the list simply because they are relatively new and have yet to achieve the same type of significance as the games listed below. For the record, the AHL has held several All-Star games during its 73 years of existence, but the league has only done it consistently since 1995.
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5. NFL Pro Bowl
The Pro Bowl is a victim of timing. By the time the game is played shortly following the season, there is little-to-no interest since everyone’s energy is spent on the Super Bowl. It resembles watching a mid-card boxing match after the main event, heavyweight championship match. The final scores tend to be close, but it seems that most of the participants are just going through the motions. To add more interest, the NFL has decided schedule the 2010 Pro Bowl one week before the Super Bowl. The game will also be played at the LandShark Stadium in Miami, instead of its usual location, Honolulu’s Aloha Stadium.
VERDICT – If the 2010 experiment turns out to be a success, then the Pro Bowl could rise in the rankings. Until then, it’s not worth any notice.
4. MLS All-Star Game
Some might argue that Major League Soccer’s All-Star game deserves to be in the “honourable mention” section. However, it places in the rankings because of its concept. Presently, the MLS All-Star Game features the league’s best players taking on well-known international clubs. Since this set-up was initiated in 2003, the MLS All-Stars have faced teams such as West Ham United, Chelsea FC and Celtic FC. However, the actual game can be viewed as a mismatch. The MLS All-Stars approach the game with something to prove, while the international teams view it as an exhibition match and don’t necessarily field their best line up.
VERDICT – It has some appeal, but don’t expect a close, highly skilled match.
3. NHL All-Star Game
The middle of this list is a perfect place for the NHL All-Star Game. There have been some tremendous matches here, but there have been other games that can best be described as glorified shinny. With the current format of Western Conference vs. Eastern Conference, the latter is more frequent than the former. Fortunately, the NHL has tried different formats just to keep fans interested. In the past, All-Star games have pitted the defending Stanley Cup champion against the NHL’s best, as well as the top North American players taking on players representing Europe and the rest of the world. The NHL also deserves credit for the other events held in conjunction with their All-Star game. This includes a skills competition and an additional game featuring younger players.
VERDICT – It doesn’t hurt to check out the action. The game does have the potential to be an exciting one. It’s rare, but it does happen.
2. NBA All-Star Game
The NBA All-Star Game offers the same type of excitement and action as their NHL counterpart. The only reason why it gets a higher ranking is because of one particular event: the slam dunk contest. What makes the slam dunk contest so highly anticipated is its ability to separate itself from other skill competitions. In all fairness, a slam dunk showcases a player’s talent more than his skill. The NBA’s dunk competition has featured many exciting and jaw-dropping moments. It also generates a huge amount of interest from the fans.
VERDICT – Forget the game, the slam dunk contest is a classic form of “must-see TV.”
1. MLB All-Star Game
Major League Baseball’s All-Star game is, in many opinions, superior. The “Midsummer Classic” has developed such an immense history and following and has become one of the biggest events in professional sports. Thanks to the way a sport like baseball is conducted, it is usually impossible for a player to “mail it in”. This has led to some highly contested matches. Unlike other similar games, the MLB All-Star Game offers a prize worth fighting for – the winning league garners home-field advantage for its representative pennant winner during the World Series. There’s also the Home Run Derby, which is just as anticipated as the game itself.
VERDICT – Worth checking out; not only for the pomp and circumstance, but also to see an intense battle for home-field advantage.
Of course, a list such as this one is subjective and a stimulus for debate. Those who are passionate about one certain sport will undoubtedly put their sport’s All-Star game ahead of all the others. Regardless of where they place, every game is unique in its own way. More importantly, it gives fans a chance to see how some of the best athletes measure up against each other.
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