The Worst Part About NBA All Star Weekend
It turns out if a player is chosen for the All Star Game, he is required to compete and will be fined if he decides to opt out.
What? Seriously? What a WILD move. More importantly, it makes zero sense.
Let's stop pretending that ANYONE really cares about the NBA All Star weekend. Most of the time we get no names in the dunk contest we don't care about watching, because the legit dunkers either don't care enough to put the effort into creating something new or don't want to compete because of injury risk.I want to see Zion and Ja and instead have to watch Blazer reject Pat Connaughton and an aging Dwight Howard (that's so 2007).
As for the game, its the worst part of the entire weekend. If you're bringing together the best of the best, they need to bring the heat. But they don't, because even they don't want to be there. Behind closed doors, they'd tell you they'd much rather take a vacation that week than be forced to show up in a meaningless exhibition game. They want the respect of being CHOSEN as an All-Star, but for sure don't want to be required to show up.
Serious question for the league… You mean to tell me that the NBA All Star is more important than say a week off; rehabbing, resetting and getting ready for a playoff push? You mean to tell me the NBA All Star Game is more important than a week off spending quality time with the family and doing some preventative maintenance on the toll that being on the road nonstop puts on a relationship?
No. No. No.
The idea of All Star week's in all sports in general is super cringe. But the idea that if you're chosen by the public to compete, you MUST show up or lose your hard earned money because the league wants to squeeze every dollar out of their product that they can… is total bullshit. Maybe, just maybe the NBA didn't force players to show up and "compete", the ones that came on their own free will might actually try. Imagine the level of effort that Hassan Whiteside gives in an important conference game and then multiply it by 10. That's the level of effort we're in for this weekend.
And people wonder why the ratings are down. Doesn't matter though, the NBA will still fill the arena and sell a ton of ads to brands that want to target a young audience… not knowing that none of us actually give a shit.
So let's stop pretending this weekend is good for the league. It's not. In fact, placing the spotlight on an inferior product actually makes the NBA look worse. I guarantee all of those young people they're trying to attract, will either tune out completely, or watch just so they can make fun of how much of a joke its become.