Opinion: MLB should model their ASG after MLS
Photo from MLB.com |
Contributing Writer
So, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game is tonight...and I'm bored with it. Like most baseball fans, I'll turn it on for a while, but it's unlikely I'll watch all the way through. It's not that interesting anymore. Sure, it's a little more interesting than the NBA All-Star Game or the Pro Bowl in the NFL because it has the added twist of determining home field for the World Series, but that's about it. Other than that, it's no more interesting than the above mentioned games.
The one All-Star Game that does hold my interest, at least more than every other major sport, is Major League Soccer. They gather the best 23 or 25 guys and play a team from overseas, particularly Europe. If MLB did that, it would hold my interest much more than American League vs. National League. Why? It's not really anything unique - now, especially, it's easy to watch these guys on a daily basis. The only only difference is they're all in one place. That just doesn't interest me. If they picked 25-30 players and went up against a team from Japan, say, and have them go up against each other, it would hold my interest much more than the current format. I would much rather see the MLB All-Star Team play the Japan All-Star team. Well, it doesn't have to a team from Japan, but any team overseas and see how they stack up against a team from another country.
You could also change it within MLB and have a USA vs. International game which copies the futures game and stacks American-born players against players who came from other countries, but I'd rather see the best in MLB go up against a team from another country because international leagues aren't shown here as much and it would be cool to see how MLB stacks up. Have an opinion? Weigh in in the poll below and let us know what you would do.