Surely, I’m not the only one to think this. We live in such an odd time in human history, to say the least. Everything that we’ve come to know as “normal” has been turned on its head, and even with the vaccines being distributed daily, it doesn’t seem like we’re out of the COVID-19 crisis just yet. I know that my own civilian life has been changed since last March, and it hasn’t been any different for celebrities, politicians, or athletes.
I want it to be known that I love basketball. I mean, I’ve written over 50 articles in the past two months, so that should go to show how much I love this sport. I love everything about it. Season tip-off, Christmas day games, MLK Day games, the off-season, the post-season, trades, free agency signings, and the topic of today’s piece, the All-Star game.
Since 1951, every year the NBA has had an All-Star game, and named their All-Stars for the year. I don’t think it would be unfair to say that this is quite the different circumstance for this year’s game. The NBA have opened up their All-Star voting to the fans, and even I have got in on who I think needs to be the starters for the “game.” However, when I voted, I assumed that they would name All-Stars, and that would be that. I didn’t actually think that there would be a game that would be played.
On February 4th, Woj tweeted that the NBA and the NBPA had reached an agreement to have an All-Star game. Ever since then, however, the league, its players, and fans alike have voiced their concern about playing in a game. Most notably, De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings spoke to the media about the game, and did not hold back. He raised concerns from a practical level. I’m paraphrasing, but he went on to say that if teams were already postponing game, and players had to wear masks at all time, and they weren’t allowed to travel outside of their hotel or home, that it didn’t make much sense to bring players, and coaches, and stadium crews to an arena in the middle of a pandemic.
If I had it my way, I would just name the All-Stars, and then give the players a week off. The players who get the All-Star nod still get the honor for their legacy, not to mention their contract incentives, and their teams get some rest during that week. Not only would it help with the player’s overall health, but it would give some much needed time for COVID-19 protocols. If you aren’t too pleased with the idea of having a whole week off, use that week to play some of the games that had to be postponed due to teams not having enough players to actually play the game.
I don’t expect things to be normal until next season. I think at the start of next season, we’ll have fans back in the stands, normal health and safety protocols, and a normal viewing experience. Until then, even with the vaccine coming out in droves, we should take every precaution to keep the players and coaches safe. They are sacrificing their health and time to play a game for our benefit, and the least we could do is protect them as much as possible.
Round The Game 
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