Frank’s Sport Court: NBA All-Star Voting

Frank Passalacqua, Sports editor

February 12, 2013

Whenever fans are the deciding factor in any sport, things can get iffy. It isn’t always the case, but having fans as the final say can raise some questions of how credible the votes are.

If you follow the NBA, then you’ll remember when the four Detroit Pistons started the 2006 All-Star game, marking the first time ever when four players on the same team were elite enough to lead an All-Star roster. Granted the 40-8 Pistons were a powerhouse at the time, was it fair to other players around the league who got snubbed because of the Pistons players? The point is fans have too much say perhaps in these situations, and should be voted on by the league and the players.

This year, the West starting five will consist of two Los Angeles Lakers and two Los Angeles Clippers players; Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin respectively, with Kevin Durant being the only starter not from LA. The problem here is diversity, and the fact that Howard (who is having one of his worst seasons ever) is voted over players who deserve it much more. Basically, just because Howard is a fan-favorite, he was picked over someone like Al Jefferson or Anderson Varejao from the East.
The East consists of mainly Miami, New York, and Boston players, and I’m sure you can guess who from those teams. The All-Star game should consist of players from a league of 30 teams, not just 6.

The only time where it’s nice to have fans rule favorites is in a case like when Shaq played. Before Shaq retired, he was elected to every All-Star game, not because of his talent, but because of the image and level of fun he brings to the game of basketball. His numbers may have been way down in his final years, but I know I’ll never forget him break dancing with the Jabbawockeez for the introduction.

The only thing that is fueling the fans voting is their participation with the league. Millions of people voted for their favorite players…literally. 7,774,919 fans voted for the East players and 7,814,531 fans voted for the West. Keep in mind, those are just the totals for the players who’ve been selected. There are millions of other votes for players who did not make the roster.

I say just have the players and coaches decide who should be on the team, that way, it would be more reputable.

About the Contributor

Frank Passalacqua, Opinion Editor

In his third year on The Beacon, Frank switches it up after the previous two years as Sports Editor. Now the Opinion Editor, Frank uses his journalism and public relations track to the newspaper staff. Frank is a senior communication studies major with a minor in art, and is involved in many other co-curriculars on campus. Out of the classroom, Frank owns a YouTube channel “randomfrankp” that provides user created video content for over 3 million viewers and his near 15,000 subscribers.