text: the NBA has the best "product" for an All-Star weekend out of the rest of the major sports (NHL could be good too but i won't call it a sport until they get their crap together), they need to take advantage of it and really make it a show. I loved the late 80's competitions and games. Where the best of the best participated and played.
  You're right, it's by far the best, no question. Baseball has done a good job of improving theirs, but they have bigger problems now. I think the NFL might be the worst though. How can they not have a skills competition like the ones you see on ESPN on Saturday afternoons that the NCAA does?
  The NBA just got too "gimmicky" with their All-Star weekend. They tried to fix too much that wasn't really broken.
  I think the NBA All-Star weekend works because basketball has more of a connection to playgrounds and childhood. Plus, the play during an NBA All-Star game can in some ways be more entertaining than regular season play. I don't think the same is true in baseball, football, or hockey, cause in many ways the game is fundamentally changed from the regular product (i.e less checking, less aggressive tackling, massive substitutions). In the NBA game, the best players get together and just try to score a ton of points in as entertaining a way as possible.
  I truly believe that the NFL suffers because they don't have an All-Star Weekend, they just have an All-Star/Pro Bowl Game. They have such big names that they market so poorly in this situation. Especially for a sport that already suffers from a lack of player recognition by fans because they always have helmets on.
  I think they make a big mistake every Pro Bowl.
  You're right about the style of play for baseball. As much as the fans may enjoy it, no pitcher wants to go to the All-Star game and throw meatballs for the hitters to knock all over the place.
  And hockey is just hockey. Where to even start with that mess.
  hockey does however have the skilHs competitions which i will admit i really enjoy. Who doesn't like to see the hardest slap shot, or the accuracy shots. MLB has the HR derby, and the NBA has the dunk and 3pt contest. The NFL needs a skills competition of some sort.