Case Dismissed: MLB All Star festivities still King
Patrick Zeng
@Roundtripper891
The most hyped up Home Run Derby ever did not disappoint last night. Some of MLB's best sluggers put on an absolute show last night, destroying balls into the Miami night. This Derby was everything that Rob Manfred could have hoped for and more so than just an exhibition of some of baseball's brightest stars, it also outlines a stark difference. Baseball's all star festivities are the best of the core 4 leagues(I'd lump in MLS as a fifth for comparison too) and it's not even close.
ESPN reported that their Home Run Derby numbers were up 38% and oh man were those numbers warranted. The Derby matchups were close, compelling and really fun. And it all ended with baseball's newest phenom taking his rightful place at the summit of home run hitters with an absolute laser show in which he made Miguel Sano's 10 home runs feel like he had only hit one or two. Cody Bellinger was given a chance to star, Gary Sanchez pulled off a big upset over reigning champ Giancarlo Stanton and other hometown hero Justin Bour amped up the crowd with a heck of a performance in what was a night of pure fun for baseball fans. Unfortunately for Bour, as well as everyone else in the competition, he was sent to the gallows by Judge.
This flagship night for the MLB serves as a reminder that no sport has mastered the implementation of All Star festivities like Major League Baseball. The Home Run Derby is a perfect skills competition for baseball. It has the potential to put some of the games' best(which happened this year) on a huge stage with nothing else going on in the sports world. It also thrives off of baseball's most romantic play.... the home run. Its execution is flawless, especially in comparison to the NBA's All Star skills competition that struggles to attract any players with name recognition to the cand the NFL's very gimmicky approach with the implementation of a dodgeball game. The NHL also does a nice job with their skills competition, but it just doesn't have the juice that fuels the Derby.
And when you look at the actual All Star games, the gap only broadens. Baseball's All Star game actually feels like a true game. It gives its stars the opportunity to play on a national stage in a natural yet prominent appearance. It flows, it's entertaining and most importantly it's real baseball. The other three leagues just cannot replicate a true game. The NFL has no hitting and the NBA makes me cringe with the utter disregard for any defensive effort. The NHL's revamped 3 on 3 style was actually very entertaining, but again it's a forwards' paradise. Imagine pitchers throwing 80 mile an hour batting practice fastballs to every hitter and every fielder casually watching balls skid past them for base hits. That's basically what you get from the other leagues and it's simply not good enough.
MLB has a winning formula when it comes to their All Star week. They market the stars, they play a compelling game, and they do it well. They've nailed their skills competition and all star game and in doing so have completely blown away the competition. In honor of Aaron Judge's superhuman performance last night, Major League Baseball is the king of All Star festivities. And it's not even close, case dismissed.
@Roundtripper891
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| 📸: Business Insider |
The most hyped up Home Run Derby ever did not disappoint last night. Some of MLB's best sluggers put on an absolute show last night, destroying balls into the Miami night. This Derby was everything that Rob Manfred could have hoped for and more so than just an exhibition of some of baseball's brightest stars, it also outlines a stark difference. Baseball's all star festivities are the best of the core 4 leagues(I'd lump in MLS as a fifth for comparison too) and it's not even close.
ESPN reported that their Home Run Derby numbers were up 38% and oh man were those numbers warranted. The Derby matchups were close, compelling and really fun. And it all ended with baseball's newest phenom taking his rightful place at the summit of home run hitters with an absolute laser show in which he made Miguel Sano's 10 home runs feel like he had only hit one or two. Cody Bellinger was given a chance to star, Gary Sanchez pulled off a big upset over reigning champ Giancarlo Stanton and other hometown hero Justin Bour amped up the crowd with a heck of a performance in what was a night of pure fun for baseball fans. Unfortunately for Bour, as well as everyone else in the competition, he was sent to the gallows by Judge.
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| 📸: Orange County Register |
This flagship night for the MLB serves as a reminder that no sport has mastered the implementation of All Star festivities like Major League Baseball. The Home Run Derby is a perfect skills competition for baseball. It has the potential to put some of the games' best(which happened this year) on a huge stage with nothing else going on in the sports world. It also thrives off of baseball's most romantic play.... the home run. Its execution is flawless, especially in comparison to the NBA's All Star skills competition that struggles to attract any players with name recognition to the cand the NFL's very gimmicky approach with the implementation of a dodgeball game. The NHL also does a nice job with their skills competition, but it just doesn't have the juice that fuels the Derby.
And when you look at the actual All Star games, the gap only broadens. Baseball's All Star game actually feels like a true game. It gives its stars the opportunity to play on a national stage in a natural yet prominent appearance. It flows, it's entertaining and most importantly it's real baseball. The other three leagues just cannot replicate a true game. The NFL has no hitting and the NBA makes me cringe with the utter disregard for any defensive effort. The NHL's revamped 3 on 3 style was actually very entertaining, but again it's a forwards' paradise. Imagine pitchers throwing 80 mile an hour batting practice fastballs to every hitter and every fielder casually watching balls skid past them for base hits. That's basically what you get from the other leagues and it's simply not good enough.
📸:NY Daily News
MLB has a winning formula when it comes to their All Star week. They market the stars, they play a compelling game, and they do it well. They've nailed their skills competition and all star game and in doing so have completely blown away the competition. In honor of Aaron Judge's superhuman performance last night, Major League Baseball is the king of All Star festivities. And it's not even close, case dismissed.
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