Darrell Davis: All-star games are a waste of time

Thirty-one years ago the CFL was criticized for playing its last all-star game. Who knew the CFL was just smarter than all the other pro sports leagues?

This comes up following the atrocity of last weekend, when the NHL interrupted its mid-winter sojourn to televise a skills competition and its meaningless, ho-hum slate of three-on-three all-star contests.

And the NFL, in its week-long hiatus between the Super Bowl and conference championships, squeezed in that televised hugfest known as the Pro Bowl, replete with lots of showboating but no hitting. They may as well play flag football, the kids’ game that is helping the NFL entice Canadian children to become interested in the American league.

Major League Baseball and the NBA also interrupt their seasons for all-star games, an opportunity for the game’s lesser-known players to get a few days off. The fans also take a few days off. Fans will watch regular-season games and go gaga about the playoffs, but does anybody watch all-star games these days?