Allan 1 Allan Joseph P. Aban Professor Benigno Montemayor English 13 23 February 2024 Fans vs Players: The Competitiveness of the NBA All-Star Game In recent discussions of the 2024 NBA All-Star Game, a controversial issue has been whether the game needs to be taken seriously as a competitive product. On the one hand, some argue that the game has become worse and less entertaining over the years due to the lack of defense and the intense amount of scoring done during the game nowadays compared to previous years (Amick). From this perspective, the event has been less entertaining to the league’s fans over the years. On the other hand, however, others argue that the event does not need to be competitive since they should risk injury for just one game and that the players involved should focus on having fun more compared to being competitive (Bontemps). In the words of NBA player and event participant Anthony Edwards, one of this view’s main proponents, “For me, it’s an All-Star Game, so I don’t think I will ever look at it like being super competitive” (Amick). According to this view, the NBA players involved do not need to play competitively and should only focus on having fun for themselves during the event. In sum, then, the issue is whether the event should prioritize the enjoyment of its players or cater to the fans for their entertainment. My own view is that the league needs to improve the competitiveness of the event by incentivizing the players involved to play more competitively by getting more money as participants of the event. Though I concede that these players are already rich and likely millionaires, I still maintain that more money as a cash prize would incentivize them to play Allan 2 harder. For example, a previous league event called the In-Season Tournament was said to make the games in the event competitive due to the cash prize given when winning it (Quinn). Although some might object that the participants of the game should not play so hard due to the chances of injury, I would reply that since this event is only one game, this should not be a large issue. The issue is important because this game is supposed to showcase the best players the league has to offer, and showing that they do not play competitively makes the league as a whole seem less competitive and entertaining. Allan 3 Works Cited Amick, Sam. “No Defense for What NBA All-Stars Intentionally Did to the Record Books.” The Athletic, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2024, theathletic.com/5284950/2024/02/19/nba-all-stargame-offense-scoring-reaction/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024. Bontemps, Tim. “NBA Again Left Seeking Solutions after Uncompetitive All-Star Game.” ABC News, ABC News Network, 19 Feb. 2024, abcnews.go.com/Sports/nba-left-seekingsolutions-after-uncompetitive-star-game/story?id=107336001. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024. Quinn, Sam. “NBA All-Star Game: If Players Aren’t Willing to Take It Seriously, Why Does This Game Still Need to Exist?” CBSSports.Com, CBS Sports, 21 Feb. 2024, www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-all-star-game-if-players-arent-willing-to-take-itseriously-why-does-this-game-still-need-to-exist/. Accessed 22 Feb. 2024.
