Noki Lam
Online Managing Editor
and Wyatt Davis
Staff Writer
All-Star games used to be the highlight of the sports world, but they’ve lost their appeal over the years. These events, meant to showcase the best athletes in professional sports, have become more focused on profit-making than actual competition. Whether it’s the NFL, NBA, or MLB, All-Star games have become less exciting and meaningful. In recent years the numbers have dropped; the 2025 Pro Bowl averaged 4.7 million views across platforms, a 18% drop from the season before. This has been the lowest audience for the all star game ever.
A key issue is that these games don’t give the audience what they expect. People watch these games hoping to see their favorite athletes competing at the highest level, but they often see half-hearted performances. Players are more worried about avoiding injuries than giving it their all on the field or court. This was clear for high level players such as Lamar Jackson, a two time NFL MVP, choosing not to participate in the 2025 Pro Bowl, leading to QB Russell Wilson filling in for him.
The NFL tried to make their Pro Bowl more interesting by adding a skills competition and flag football game, but fans were not impressed with it. Viewership declined even more, losing over a million, even changing the format to appeal to the fans failed. The NBA has tried different formats, such as a playground style draft and target scores, but these changes haven’t created the same excitement in the audience.
According to Costa junior and varsity basketball player, Jayden Kainsinger, the NBA all star game holds fond memories from his childhood, but he was disappointed to see the excitement of the event dwindle over time.
“Every year as a kid , I marked when NBA all star weekend was coming,” Kainsinger said. “One of my favorite childhood memories was attending the 2018 game. It just seems like the vibes are not the same and the competition is much worse.”
The NHL, who replaced their traditional all star game with their Four-Nations Face Off event, saw an immense amount of success with their change up. The event was an Olympic-style competition in which teams composed of all star players from a certain country played against other countries. The event garnered attention beyond its sport and had people who never had watched hockey tuning in.
“It was much more competitive and exciting than an all star game,” Costa junior Josh Farbman said. “When fighting for your nation you fight much harder than you would for any all star team. I am Canadian myself, and I was super invested.”
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