One thing that hasn’t been mentioned much in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is that if a player is selected to play in the All Star Game, they’re obligated to play in the game. In order to get out of playing, they must either be injured or they have to be excused from the league.
The All Star Game has taken a decline of late because of the saturation of baseball coverage out there. I can subscribe to MLB.TV and watch any game and player I want. In the 1980s, this wasn’t the case and the All Star Game was one of the rare times you could see stars from the other league in a game. Now the game means something (home field in the World Series, which is stupid) but we’re less interested where as before, it meant nothing yet held public appeal.
This should make All Star Game tickets and Home Run Derby tickets an easier sell. Assuming everything works as it should, you’re going to have the best teams out there. This will solidfy the rosters and make it so you know you’ll be seeing.
