Should the all star game really “count”? This is going to be the sixth all star game since the winner was awarded home field advantage. But the game hasn’t really changed at all since the implementation of this rule. Personally, I don’t know what baseball expected to happen. The all star game is, at its core, an exhibition. That’s what its meant to be. Its a showcase of baseball. Look at all the pageantry and promotion that are involved in this event. If you want to watch a competitive game, tune into a regular season game. To make the all star game competitive baseball would have to do several things:
- End fan voting
The best players would have to be starting, not the most popular.
- Not give each team a representative
Again, you would need the strongest teams possible.
- End interleague play
Interleague play has watered down the American-National League rivalry.
Its safe to say baseball will never do any of these things. Why? Because less people would watch the game, because their favorite team or players were not involved. And interleague play is a huge attraction and is unlikely to be discontinued.
I think the all star game was fine the way it was. Home field advantage adds nothing to it. When you think about it using the all star game to determine the advantage is a joke. Why should an exhibition decide such an important thing. To have players with no chance of being in the series affect the outcome of it is simply ludicrous.
