Buster Olney: MLB All-Star Game in a ‘fragile state’

Long considered the best All-Star game in professional sports, Major League Baseball’s midsummer classic has lost its juice.

The 2026 MLB All-Star Game saw the American League shutout the National League in what was a mundane 4-0 win. And according to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the future of MLB’s midsummer classic is now facing some serious questions. Joining Get Up Wednesday morning, Olney was asked to describe the state of the All-Star Game, and the picture was bleak.

“I think this midsummer classic is in a fragile state.”

—@Buster_ESPN on the attendance at the MLB All-Star game 👀 pic.twitter.com/bxgtEC0s74

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 15, 2026

“Fragile,” Olney said. “I think this midsummer classic is in a fragile state right now. There’s a lot of concern within the sport because so many players are opting out of the game.”

Olney noted the growing issue of players either declining an invite to the All-Star Game or becoming ineligible because they pitched for their regular team in the preceding days. It begs the question of whether All-Star Games can still be considered “All-Star” if the stars aren’t showing up to compete.

“In this All-Star Game, Jacob Misiorowski, the guy everyone wants to see, he didn’t pitch. Paul Skenes didn’t pitch,” Olney lamented. “Cam Schlittler, Aaron Judge was not there. Shohei Ohtani was not there. Citizens Bank Park last night, a third of the stands had cleared out by the eighth inning. That is a concern for baseball to address.”

The stands cleared out by the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday night because if the players aren’t going to be there, why should the fans? Winning the All-Star Game MVP is almost a punishment if it means the player can’t cut out early. And while the game was devoid of some of the sports’ biggest stars, it was also missing any sort of excitement or competitive spirit.

The first thing Major League Baseball needs to address is the future of the sport in general. Because while the All-Star Game is in a fragile state, so is the entire 2027 season as the possibility of a lockout looms. But if there is a season, MLB needs to make it more enticing for its stars to show up and show out.