MLB
The Major League Baseball All-Star Game Does Not Mean Much. However, There Are Some Possibilities For The MLB To Change That
Last week during the 89th annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game a thought came across my mind that many may also share;
What is the point of this?
A headline for an article in the San Diego Union-Tribune even reads: ‘All-Star Game classic example of what’s wrong with baseball.’
As most fans are already aware, as of the 2017 all-star game, the winning league no longer gets home field advantage in the World Series.
Home field advantage now goes to the team with the better record out of the two pennant winners.
That does seem pretty fair, especially when the American League had won a whopping 11 out of the 14 all-star games played for home field advantage starting in 2003.
But basically, the game now means absolutely nothing as far as the players having a reason to go hard and what not.
It’s more just for the fans to look at the best players face some more of the best players in the game in a meaningless yet rather un-enticing exhibition.
Meanwhile, players earn some decently sized bonuses that would be enough to clear some student loan debts!
Anyway, money aside, how could the MLB All-Star Game become better and not bland like it currently is?
First Idea
Do away with this simple American League v.s National League nonsense.
Then do not be like every other league and use the captains pick teams method.
This is not the sandlot anymore; this is the big leagues!
Step things up and have the defending World Series champions go up against the opposite leagues all-stars.
So this season it would have been the Houston Astros taking on the National League’s best.
Back in the 1970’s when safety was not a concern, the reigning Super Bowl Champ in the NFL used to play a College All-Star team.
This is reasonably close to the same idea.
Ironically, that idea seems like it would primarily be true for football.
But hey, the 1970’s were a “different time” as anyone alive then will tell you.
Second Idea
What about the all-stars from the league that is not playing in the first game?
Why not have them take the all-stars from the Japanese league?
There used to be multiple all-star games from 1959-1962 so why not this?
And what month better to evoke nationalism than July.
Especially over a sport that used to be known as “America’s Pastime.”
Streaming service Netflix has since taken over that title.
