For instance, Major League Baseball has the single hardest act in sports (hitting a baseball), an underlying mental match-up between pitcher and hitter, and also between manager and manager, that the common fan might not know about, or realize the severity of, and it is the only sport where time can not run out on you. You will always have a chance to come back until you give up that very last out.
The National Football League has unparalleled parity, whether for good or ill, jaw-dropping hits, and an emphasis on teamwork, as every single player in the field has an impact, whether directly or indirectly.
The National Basketball Association has constant scoring, unlimited highlight plays, and as I mentioned in my Olympics post, one of the most important facets of American Sports, star athletes. This last bit being the one area where the NBA far-and-away beats both Major League Baseball and the National Football League. That's not to say it is a better sport, just that it's all-star game offers something the other Big Two cannot.
The Pro-Bowl has long been a joke, and while Baseball does have all of its well-recognized stars in attendance, the sport can be so fickle based on so many aspects that they don't always excel during the all-star exhibition, not to mention the aspect mentioned before (about the clock never running out) can make the event go too long, and often does.
But the NBA has an excellent showcase of all their talent, where everyone has a chance to put up points and make a few highlight plays. Not to mention contests like the Dunk Contest and Three-Point Contest that can wow the audiences, and leave them talking about it the next week, further exposing their star talent. (The Home Run Derby did that same for Josh Hamilton, though it is rarely an exciting event.)
So since the NBA has a head-start when it comes to promoting their best players, what can other sports do to catch up?
MLB could have better talent in the Home Run Derby which might make things more interesting, and perhaps add some sort of fielding competition. But when it comes to the exhibition game the old mantra that good pitching beats good hitting is often proven true, so there is an unfixable fundamental flaw right there that might prevent an overly exciting exhibition.
The NFL has a harder time because it is such a physical game that the toll taken on the bodies of its best athletes prevents them from wanting to take part in the unneccesary punishment. And part of the appeal was that they at least got a week vacation in Hawaii out of the deal, but now with the game moved to the Super Bowl city, it is not nearly as appealing for the players. Maybe if they made it a flag football game, so people weren't afraid of injury? No, people like to see hitting too much. They would never go for that watered-down a version of the sport. I guess there's really nothing they can do.
Maybe the NBA's ability to host a compelling all-star weekend is just another innate aspect that differentiates it from the other two major American sports.
-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor
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