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Christensen: No Hit but a Definite Miss

By Todd Christensen, The Mtn. Insider
February 2, 2012

This past Sunday, there was an odd combination as both of the All-Star Games for the NFL and NHL were on television.  Usually they want the airtime to themselves, but some quirk had them together.  What I found disappointing just like about everyone else was the fact that it appeared to be a contest as to who could try the least, or as they used to say about race walking, who "could whisper the loudest.”  

Both contests produced a pedestrian product and one in which the numbers were beyond inflated: 12-9 in hockey and 59-41 in a Pro Bowl that featured over 1150 yards of total offense.  

There are a myriad of reasons for this, ranging from the fact that it is an exhibition and the players are taking a cut in pay to play in these contest, to the reality that the participants would rather go their own way and take the time off.  In the case of the NFL, the players are finished with their season so their effort is even less yeoman; my feeling is the fact that both games are predicated upon physicality.

In baseball and basketball, skill and hand/eye coordination are the priority and those assets can be utilized without collisions or physical intimidation, hence the reason why their all-star games are usually a bit more competitive and compelling.  In football and hockey however, being physical is a must and when that feature is taken out of the game, the priority for the participants becomes self-preservation and you have choreographed dancing that was on display both on the ice and on the turf.
 
There is a sidebar here that cannot be ignored.  Both sports have gone overboard to make their respective sports safer, but not altogether successfully.  Brendan Shanahan, the new czar of safety for the NHL, has dispensed considerable fines for players hitting above the shoulders.  Yet it is still okay to drop the gloves and fight.  Is this supposed to prevent concussions?  And in football, the helmet-to-helmet penalties have risen considerably, but only if they are in the open.  In a recent game, I counted a half-dozen such hits, but because they were within the scrum of the battle between the hash marks, they were not called.  

No one is arguing the point regarding the need to make games safer.  But it would appear by both the All-Star contests and the contradictions within the respective sports that something is amiss in terms of how to enforce legislation that would retain the physicality that makes these two sports popular and at the same time prevent serious injury.  Yes, it is a work in progress, but there is also something to be said for the participants understanding the risks and if it ain't broke, don’t fix it. 
See all of Todd Christensen's blog HERE.