Do All-Star games still matter?

The news that the MLB All-Star game was not viewed by a large audience did not come as a surprise.

In fact, if the opposite was true—that is, if it drew significant numbers—I would have been astounded.

Clearly, the concept of the All-Star game—and not just in baseball, mind you—has passed its time.

It’s really hard to say which sport has gone so wrong, when just about every North American sports league seems to be inept when it comes to their supposed celebration of the game’s best.

Baseball’s game is a joke because of their over-reaction to a tie in 2002 that led to winner gaining home field advantage for their league in the World Series.

Football’s game can’t really be called a game. There’s no blitzing; defences can only run a stock 4-3 look and there’s not much of anything in the way of physical play; a strange omission in a violent, collision-based sport. Add that to the fact that a high percentage of players skip the game and you have the recipe for awful viewing.

Basketball’s game allows faded stars with greatly diminished abilities the chance to play and the next time you see some defence played will be the first time it’s happened.

And the NHL’s game is so important that every four years when a real competition comes along—the Olympics—they don’t have a game.

It’s rather ironic that Major League Soccer—which has by far the lowest profile of any of the leagues—does the All-Star game the best.

When they played their first All-Star game in 1996, they did it like everyone else—East vs. West—but in 2005 they switched things up.

Now they create one All-Star team and play against a major European club. This year it will be Manchester United.

Granted they have an advantage since the majority of talent in their sport is located on foreign soil, but the major selling point is the fact that it is a real game and it’s certainly unique.

Odds are that eventually this will become stale as well.

So the real point is, would anyone miss All-Star games if they were to go away?

If the numbers are a true indicator, then no.

After all, how can you miss something you aren’t watching?