In most professional sports, the all-star game is a time for fans and the sport’s top players to get to together and have fun celebrating their accomplishments. The NFL has the pro bowl where the best players get to hang out with each other instead of ripping the other’s head off each Sunday. The NBA All-Star game is one of the most sponsored events in sports and has all types of different competitions that highlight the performances of basketball’s greatest players. Yet, there is something different about Major League Baseball’s All-Star game; the winning team gets home field advantage in the World Series.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig decided a few years ago that it would be a good idea to grant home field advantage to the winning team between the National and American leagues. In professional sports and especially in the postseason, being able to play on your home field or court is a huge advantage. It is where teams feel most comfortable playing and comfort is the first step in being successful in sports. So how does it make any sense to allow a game that does not mean anything to most players involved to decide which league gets home field advantage in the World Series? Keep in mind that in the MLB all-star game, at least one player from each team gets to play in the game. There are players representing each league that play for teams that have no hope at getting to the postseason. That means that there are representatives from the 30 MLB teams helping decide the fate of the 8 teams that will play for a World Series ring. Game 7 of the World Series is being determined by an all-star game where it should be decided by the best record between the two teams. Allowing for the MLB All-Star game to decide which city game 7 of the World Series is played in is basically a two and a half hour coin flip.
The all-star game in professional baseball is supposed to mark a period where baseball is half over and players get a chance to unwind from the rigors of a 162 game season and revitalize themselves. In most professional sports’ all-star games, we see the game’s greatest players not going full speed like they usually would because there is that risk of injury in a meaningless game. However, now we have these players giving 100% to decide the outcome of a game that means nothing to less than a third of the players involved. To me, that is one of the worst decisions that Commissioner Bud Selig has ever made.
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