There has been a lot of discussion about why the NBA All-Star game isn’t good anymore.
It really comes down to the lack of passion and interest from stars, first and foremost.
We can blame Adam Silver all we want, but the reality is that any of the recent changes to the All-Star game format only exist because the players weren’t putting in effort.
The All-Star games of the past weren’t perfect by any means, and may even have their legend exaggerated. But the reality is that back then, players knew how to compete with some competitive spirit even if they weren’t giving it their all.
Again, were they giving it their all? No. And there were definitely plays where players were lackadaisical.
But there was still some level of sincerity and showmanship that is missing.
Compare that to recent years.
This is a problem.
When it comes to anything in life – not just sports, but anything cultural – it only works if the participants buy in. You can’t expect to have a great party if no one is dancing. (In fact… many people say that night clubs are not the same anymore since everyone is standing around using their phones instead of dancing and having a good time…)
There has to be a level of effort put in by the players.
Again, none of these current gimmicks the All-Star game has would exist if the players didn’t stop putting in effort.
So the question now is why did the players stop putting in effort?
Many people say that “the players care more about the money than the game now!”
And even though it sounds like an oldhead complaining.., let’s be real, there is a problem that is invading society when it comes to the quality of a lot of the things we consume.
While money has always been a part of every industry, there was usually an expected balance between the money and the quality.
But it does feel like this balance has been disrupted in recent years and it has ruined the quality of many things. Standards for everything have gotten lower now (there’s even a term for it).
So it makes sense that it would affect the NBA too. The players don’t really care for sentimental “love of the game” stuff for an event like the All-Star game. They don’t need to play for pride, when they are playing in an era where the league is already a multi-billion dollar business and they are already celebrities.
In short: you have to really love what you’re doing if you aren’t getting paid much. As where if you are getting paid a lot, you don’t have to love it to do it.
As a result, unless its something meaningful like the playoffs or NBA Finals… you’ll probably see this low effort play continue.
The only way to fix it, aside from gimmicks, would be to enforce stricter gameplay rules – be more strict on travels, offensive fouls, carries, etc. – so that that way, it weeds out low effort players and performances since it would be harder to get away with it.
Either that or “Get rid of 3s” for the all-star game.
Let me know what you think in the comments.
