Quick question, does anyone actually care about All-Star Games? Were you on the edge of your seat during the riveting 20-13 AFC win in the Pro Bowl? No, no you weren’t. You don’t remember who the MVP for the 2016 MLB All-Star Game was either. I get it, in previous years, especially if the team you root for was projected to be in the playoffs, you don’t want bums out there costing your team home field advantage in the World Series.
Guess what, that shit doesn’t matter anymore. Maybe you forgot, or just didn’t know, but the All-Star Game no longer determines home field for the World Series.
Here’s the thing, of course when you have fans voting for All-Star Game rosters it’s going to end up being a popularity contest. It’s like the people who complained about David Ross being in the finals of Dancing With The Stars. No shit, he wasn’t a good dancer, but that’s what you get when you factor in voting from obviously bias people. Same thing for ASG voting.
Oh, the Chicago Cubs have a whole bunch of players being voted into the All-Star Game even though they’re not deserving? No fucking shit. The team just won the World Series and has been plastered all over the country after already being one of the most popular teams in not just MLB but American sports. Of course fans are voting in Cubs players who haven’t been good. Have you ever seen previous All-Star teams? It always happens, but again, who gives a shit.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
You’re going to be mad because you don’t get to see your favorite player who’s better than someone else play in the All-Star Game? You have 162 games to watch him. You’re mad because player A doesn’t get to face player B? Guess what, American League teams play National League teams all the time now.
As a fan, you don’t need an All-Star Game selection to justify a player you like as being good. You have all the numbers and stats imaginable at your fingertips to know who’s bad and who’s good. All-Star Games are just popularity contests. And now, it’s back to what it should have stayed as, a meaningless exhibition game that gives players four days off from games that matter.
But we’re going to see it every time the voting results come out. Fans will complain and it’ll be stupid. A complete waste of breath. The Cubs have three guys leading the fan vote for their position in Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward.
Outfielder @Bharper3407 of the @Nationals leads the NL in fan balloting for the 2017 @AllStarGame. Vote now at https://t.co/qd5OOxn7ED pic.twitter.com/SdPsLKdClg
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) May 30, 2017
Is it hilarious that Kyle Schwarber is only about 41,000 votes away from Heyward for the third starting outfielder spot? Yes, yes it is. Who cares. It’s a meaningless All-Star Game. You weren’t going to watch anyway.
