Professional All-Star Games not that appealing

JR Tidwell Sports Editor

My favorite team in the NFL is the Indianapolis Colts. When I say they are my favorite team, keep in mind that I do not really watch the NFL that much, as I prefer college football. So when the NFL AFC-NFC Pro-Bowl rolls around, I tend to pull for the AFC since the Colts are in that conference.

When my roommate turned on the game, the AFC was losing 35-0. My immediate response was to mock the AFC for how poorly they were playing, but then I thought about it and came to the conclusion that the entire game is subpar to begin with.

I watched Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel throw a wounded duck to Minnesota Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, who was, unfortunately, a player for the wrong team. Winfield then jogged towards the other team until someone finally (and lazily) pulled him to the ground.

That was basically how the entire game went. No one really put forth any effort except for the running backs. I understand that the players are only given a short time to prepare and they are playing with guys they are not used to, but come on. I have seen better play while watching a high school game.

The defense of the league is that they are trying to keep anyone from getting hurt, which is understandable. The game is really seen as more of a vacation by the players, anyway. When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decided to move the game from Hawaii to Miami, the players voiced their disapproval.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said that if the Pro-Bowl was played in a different location, then “If the tradition continues, eventually the game will be held in cities that are not desirable vacation destinations.”

The Pro-Bowl was a joke to me. Of course, if I was in the position of the players, I would not care about the game either.

The 2010 MLB All-Star Game was also pretty boring. The game ended up being mostly a pitchers’ battle with some batters’ inability to hit mixed in. The American League put the first run on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning-so, effectively, half of the game was scoreless. My favorite team in the MLB is the Atlanta Braves, and I have watched them since I was young.

I am a bigger Braves fan than Colts fan, but I watched baseball long before I watched the NFL. Again, since the Braves are in the National League, that is who I pull for in the All-Star Game. The highlight of the game for me was when Braves catcher Brian McCann hit a three-run double in the top of the seventh, which became the game-winning hit. McCann was also named the game’s MVP, and I cannot think of a more deserving guy. Other than McCann’s hit, the game (in my opinion) was extremely boring.

The NBA All-Star Game is probably the best of the three because it involves more events (than just the game itself) than the other sports’ games offer.

All-Star Saturday includes the Shooting Stars Competition, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Shootout, Slam Dunk Contest and H-O-R-S-E Competition, but let’s face it, the best part of the weekend was when Blake Griffin dunked over the car. Other than that, the entire event was not that appealing to me.

The lesson to be learned here is that all-star games in any sport are not that great to watch for the fans, since the players are there to have fun, not play ball.