The NHL All Star Game and Why It Gets No Attention

Article by: Christine O'Connor 

Twitter: @christineeeeO

Image Credit: nhl.com

The NHL All Star Game happened last weekend. So why didn't we hear about it? Maybe because the media has been completely wrapped in Deflate Gate or what Marshawn Lynch is getting fined for daily.

The NHL All Star game seems to lose more entertainment value and meaning year after year. 

The NHL's All-Star game has had many formats and has grown into a weekend extravaganza without any logic behind the selection of players or teams. Like the All-Star game in other sports, its relevance is up for debate in a long sports calendar. 

The game was once played before the season as a matchup between the previous season's Cup champion and stars from other teams. Now the NHL's All-Star game has been an East-vs.-West game at midseason. Sunday's game at Nationwide Arena, a game between teams whose captains were chosen for being a fan favorite or the face of the team. 

So with the NHL All Star game becoming almost irrelevant and ratings continuing to plummet, why does it still happen yearly (excluding the years when the Winter Olympics take place)? 

It's just business. 

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the weekend's festivities will generate $12 million in visitor spending. Owners love to host the event because they can promote their teams during fan festivals and other related events.

Maybe the NHL can do something make it a little more interesting and bring some more importance to the game like it once had. 

The 2015 NBA All Star Weekend in New York City

Article by: Christine O'Connor

Twitter: @christineeeeO

​​​Image Credit: nba.com

Welcome to New York! 

The Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks will share hosting duties for the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend. The Saturday nightevents, including the three-point contest and slam dunk competition, will be held at the Barclays Center, while the All-Star Game will be played at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Feb. 15.

Here is what you need to know for the weekend's events:

All-Star Celebrity Game

Two teams of celebrities will get to play at the World's Most Famous Arena on Friday night.

Tipoff: Feb. 13, 7:00 p.m. ET

​Location: Madison Square Garden

TV coverage: ESPN

Rising Stars Challenge

The top rookies and sophomores take center stage on Friday night at the Barclays Center.

Tipoff: Feb. 13, 9:00 p.m. ET

Location: Barclays Center

TV coverage: TNT

All-Star Saturday Night

The Barclays Center hosts the Shooting Stars, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest on Saturday night.

Tipoff: Feb. 14, 8:30 p.m. ET

Location: Barclays Center

TV coverage: TNT

All-Star Game

The East and West meet in the 64th All-Star Game on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. It will be the fourth time the game is played at The Mecca and the first time since Michael Jordan took home MVP honors in 1998.

Tipoff​: Feb. 15, 8:30 p.m. ET

Location: Madison Square Garden

TV coverage: TNT

Adidas unveiled the uniforms for the weekend: 

​Image Credit: lakersnation.com

More Insight On The 2014 MLB All Star Game

MLB All Star Game

As bad as the home run derby was (and it was bad, more about that here), the All Star game delivered.

Derek Jeter shined on the first play of the game, making a diving grab and throw that would have gotten anyone but Andrew McCutchen out. And he didn't stop there. Jeter went 2 for 2, with a double and a single, and scored a run. He knocked the double off the right field wall as a well lubricated fan yelled, "Overrated!" (Did anyone else hear a bit of a Bostonian accent in that heckle?)  MVP material, right? Well, it would have been had Mike Trout not gone 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs, a triple and a run. He was awarded MVP as MLB prepares to pass the torch to younger players. To ensure its continued success, MLB must do a better job branding its young stars. This was a baby step in the right direction.

One young player not ready to carry the torch is Yasiel Puig. He stayed consistent with his performance in the derby, striking out in all three of his at bats. Yikes.

As I said, the game itself was a good one, and if you cared, you watched it. The American League won 5-3, and as MLB is constantly reminding us because "This time it counts," secured home field advantage for the World Series.

As is usually the case with these events, though, the most compelling story lines didn't come from box scores or defensive gems. First, the players can't seem to decide if the game counts to them or not. Adam Wainwright, the starting pitcher for the NL, may or may not have given Jeter "a couple of pipe shots," as he told Jeff Pasan of Yahoo Sports. Wainwright later backed away from this statement. Try as MLB might, the All Star game seems like an exhibition game still to fans and players.

Jeter got a lot of attention, and if you didn't like it, well, too bad. Any baseball fan should be able to tip their hat to the man. RE2PECT, right? Jeter has respected the game his entire career, played within it, and never tried to become more than the game. His introduction, send off, and the RE2PECT commercial were moments true sports' fans cherish, regardless of their allegiances. Even some Southies will miss Jeetah when he's gone. Too much?



A lot was made over the lack of tribute to Tony Gwynn. Twitter nearly broke from fans expressing their rage. Much of it was exaggerated, and as goes with everything on Twitter, the rest was from people piggybacking a trending topic. I'm in the apparently small camp that doesn't feel an All Star game is the proper moment for a tribute. MLB later said they didn't want to single out any individuals, and, although their phrasing was poor due to the attention given to Jeter, I believe them.

Anyway, we're only halfway through the season, so let's carry the good moments from the All Star game into the rest of the year.

Oh, and next year, if you want the AL to win again, and you want to play your part in that, vote the entire Mets' bullpen in for the National League.

by:: Josh Henderson

Twitter: @verybadwrong

HomeRun Derby, and the 2014 MLB All Star Game.

Earlier this week, stars and dignitaries from Major League Baseball gathered in Minneapolis for this year's Mid-Summer Classic.  That's right. They only get a few days off over seven months, and they're spending two of them in Minneapolis. As always, the home run derby got things started on Monday night.

This home run derby was truly an event for the ages. Sorry, I phrased that wrong. This home run derby truly took ages. It started off with an hour rain delay that was exactly as exciting as the competition itself. Thanks to a new format, the finals featured the Reds' Todd Frazier, who hit a total of ten home runs in all FOUR rounds, and Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes, the bane of auto-correct. Cespedes won 9 - 1, proving the league versus league format is ridiculous and that the derby itself was far more entertaining when the participants were hulked out on PEDs.

Because the event took four hours - yep, four - we did get something interesting Monday night. Target Field features self-serve beer vending machines. Just select the beer you want and the number of ounces of it you want. No longer is it necessary to speak to a human when you want to drink at a baseball game. And it's only $51.20 a gallon! No word on whether the machine judges you for buying four beers per trip even though you appear to be alone.

This time last year, many of us were debating whether the Dodgers' Yasiel Puig belonged in the derby or the All-Star game. Turns out, he didn't. This year fans voted him into the game, and he participated in the derby. You had exactly as many home runs as Puig, and unless you have a Mohawk, you looked better than him doing it.

It seems more evident, day by day, Puig is content to have played his way out of Cuba, and hey, who can blame him?

Bud Selig is retiring in January. Let's hope his replacement does something to resurrect, and shorten, the derby.

by:: Josh Henderson