All-Star games are a joke nowadays.

Simple as that.

I remember growing up when the All-Star games in the four major sports were the coolest thing ever, but now they are all about the show and the money.

I used to get excited for the games and skills competitions, but now it’s just a week break of games that actually matter and it seems like the players could give a shit about the games.

One that hits home for me is the NHL All-Star game. As a hockey player and fan all my life, watching the game and skills competition was awesome as a kid because you got the see the best players that season go head-to-head in a showcase of their skills and watch them play with players from different teams.

Now it’s all about making the game an experience and involving anyone who could draw attention to the game. Like, it’s cool that they get people like Justin Bieber and Tate McRae to show up, but they are just there to bring in fans and it takes away from what the All-Star game really is.

I miss the days watching and hearing guys like Rick DiPetro talking to the broadcaster mid-game while making a crazy glove save and batting the puck back into play.

Now it looks like guys are just there for the vacation and look absolutely uninterested in the game.

And don’t get me started on the NFL Pro Bowl.

The Pro Bowl used to be so cool. One memory I vividly have is Sean Taylor absolutely decapitating someone in the game and players actually gave a shit to play in it and try to make it a fun game to watch.

Now it’s a damn flag football game.

If I wanted to watch flag football I’d go outside and get some buddies to play two hand touch because it would be the same thing intensity wise. The NFL needs to bring back the old Pro Bowl where it was an actual football game not football that we all used to play in elementary school.

The NBA All Star weekend has always been kind of a letdown in my eyes besides the dunk contest, but now it’s just getting out of hand. Mac McClung is the only reason the dunk contest was relatively entertaining again this year. Like give me Zion, LeBron, and some guys that can dunk the ball like menaces, then I would be hyped to watch it again.

And don’t even get me started on the actual game. 200 points scored by one team in an All-Star game is a damn joke. Talk about not playing any defense, it was embarrassing to watch because players just don’t try on defense and just pull up to shoot from anywhere or they have a free lane to dunk. It’s so boring to watch.

The only sport that had some relevance for the All-Star game was the MLB, but they took that away too, so now the only thing to get excited for is the Home Run Derby. The MLB used to do it right, with the winning team getting home field advantage in the World Series. It actually gave the players something to play for and some motivation, unlike other sports where guys show up to the All-Star break guzzle some beers and go out with zero care for the actual games.

At the end of the day, All-Star games just aren’t the same as they were when I was growing up and it is all about the show and not about showcasing the highest level of competition in the league for that season. The big four sports need to figure it out and make these games meaningful, so the players actually care. And