Brian Windhorst appreciates the NBA All-Star Weekend as a convention of sorts.
But when it comes to the event itself, the ESPN NBA senior writer has lost all interest.
“I could let it all go. I avoid it like the plague,” Windhorst told Sports Business Journal‘s Austin Carp while appearing on The Sports Media Podcast. “It is very good for NBA business. A lot of NBA business gets done there. I recognize that. I recognize that it’s a lot of stuff that happens with players from a marketing standpoint that gets done there. As a fan, I have no interest in the All-Star Weekend. I’m sorry for to say that. I shouldn’t be saying it because I’ll definitely get blowback.”
As for why Windhorst has lost interest in the event, a big part of it appears to be related to the actual All-Star Game itself, which has undergone various format changes in recent years in an attempt to revitalize it as a compelling TV product. That includes this year’s debut of a new four-team, three-game tournament featuring three squads comprised of NBA All-Stars and an additional team of Rising Stars.
Suffice it to say, Windhorst isn’t a fan.
“They’re really reaching,” the Akron, Ohio, native said before expressing confusion about the announcement that comedian Kevin Hart will serve as an on-court emcee. “All-Star Weekend, but specifically the All-Star Game, has long, long, long been style over substance. It’s lost me as a viewer, in all honesty. And I’m not excited about this.”
While Karp suggested, the league consider a USA vs. the World type of competition — perhaps similar to the NHL’s new format — Windhorst seems to think the event is a lost cause—at least as long as the players don’t seem to care about the game, which he believes is ultimately the root cause of the exhibition’s issue.
“The real problem is that the players aren’t invested in the game,” he said. “And so what they’re doing is trying everything that they possibly can to get the players invested in the game… it’s not for a lack of trying… really, the format doesn’t matter if the players aren’t invested in the outcome.”
Still, Windhorst insists he’ll go into this weekend’s All-Star festivities in San Francisco with an open mind. But considering that the last two All-Star Games were the two least-watched in the event’s history, any pessimism he might be holding onto has clearly been well-earned.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.