All-Star Game: NBA gets it
I’ve never been a fan of professional all-star games. Too boring. Too meaningless. Too fake.
But this week we have all the evidence necessary for why the NBA’s All-Star Game is the best of the bunch.
The starters for the game have already been determined, but later this week, the reserves will be announced. There is excitement about this. There is anticipation about who will be included and who have an off weekend in a few weeks.
At the same time, the NFL is scrambling to just have enough guys for the Pro Bowl this Sunday. Among the most recent additions to the roster — Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard.
His numbers this season: 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 83.5. That was the 17th best quarterback rating this season, only slightly ahead of Vince Young. But then again, the Tennessee quarterback is in the Pro Bowl, too. Young didn’t even play the first four weeks of the season.
The Pro Bowl is a joke. While Major League Baseball and the NHL have slightly better all-star games, the NBA’s is the best because the association has embraced the idea that this isn’t a game.
It’s an event.
That’s why the NBA is going to Jerry World for this year’s All-Star Game. Yep, the game will be inside the new Cowboys Stadium, and the crowd is expected to be near 80,000.
But the NBA understands that All-Star weekend is about more than the game. That’s why they have the dunk contest, the sophomore-rookie game, the HORSE contest, and those are just some of the league-sanctioned events. The non-NBA events are an even bigger part of the weekend. Because of all of that, the NBA All-Star Game is the place to see and be seen.
Granted, it’s still a meaningless contest, but it’s an all-star weekend that feels important. No other pro league can say that. That’s why no other pro league has an all-star event better than the NBA’s.
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Hello Jeni, I echo your sentiments exactly. I have been to 7 NBA ALL STAR games and I concur that they are for the fans and the entire family has something to do for three to 4 days and not just on game day like the other sports. I will make history by witnessing the game in the new Cowboy Stadium and I am curious to see how it will be setup. I have never been to a Pro Bowl or a MLB All Star Game but I don’t see them doing anything for the fan that can compare to the NBA. I’ll share a funny story with you. Back in 1998 prior to attending my first All Star Game, I had no idea how to purchase a ticket so I picked up the phone and called the NBA Office in New York. I was patched through to someone quickly and he explained to me how the ticket process worked. I was amazed at how I got through to speak to a human that quickly and this speaks volumes as to how the NBA treats it’s fans.