To be an NBA All-Star is to have finally made it in the NBA. Being one of the league’s greats in no way guarantees anyone of reaching the dream of an NBA championship, for evidence of that we need look no further than Gary Payton. A berth in the All-Star game is a singular achievement, it means for a player that you are one of the crème de la crème, not just in the NBA but in fact it makes you one of the best in the world. It can turn good players into great players, and great players into future hall of famers. That’s the way it is supposed to be anyways, but the shine that comes with being in the All-Star weekend isn’t without its tarnish.

The problem with the All-Star game comes in the form of the fan balloting system that is used to determine who the starters will be. Actually, to be fair to the NBA, the problem is not the fact that the league picks its starters based on fan voting, the problem is that the majority of NBA fans are uneducated, (I am showing great patience in not using stronger language than the term “uneducated” here).

For the third year in a row Vince Carter has led the league in All-Star voting. This is despite the fact that ‘Vinsanity’ is not having as good a season as last year. He has been criticized for being soft, his team is under-achieving, but he dunks nicely enough, so why not, right? In a perfect world the lead vote getter for the All-Star game would be the league’s best player at the time; Vince, although entertaining, is hardly the league’s best this year.

The one argument that I hear most often in favour of fan balloting is that the NBA All-Star weekend is for the fans so why not let the fans decide. After all, the league is supposedly hurting for fans and viewers right, so why not pander to the every whim of the majority. Whatever can bring in the most viewers and the most money right? After all that sounds like the NBA.

But the problem with letting the fans vote for the ‘fans' weekend’ is that being named an All-Star should be such an honour that it does matter. Being named an All-Star player and the number of times one is named an All-Star is part of how we judge careers; it is part of how we determine the greatness of individuals. It matters for the players when negotiating contracts, and for the league when honouring players with admittance to the hall of fame; allowing the “uneducated” to make these determinations ruins the integrity of the event.

Take for example this year's results; the starters for the Eastern Conference are Dikembe Mutombo, Vince Carter, Antoine Walker, Allen Iverson, and Michael Jordan. It could take all day to debate whether or not Vince Carter is better than Paul Pierce or Tracy McGrady. Michael’s appearance on the starting roster, however, is due solely to popularity instead of production. It is hard to make a case for either Iverson or Jordan over Ray Allen, who is in the midst of a great season this year, or perhaps Jason Kidd, who is being discussed as a possible league MVP.

In the Western Conference the starters are Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Stevie Franchise. Here again I find the fans’ opinions not truly reflecting the reality of the NBA landscape. There is no way in the world Steve Francis deserves the spot more than Gary Payton. With Gary again having one of the best seasons of his career, and Steve Francis constantly being on and off the injured reserve, this inequity should be a no-brainer, but that doesn’t matter in the eyes of fans that don’t really know what is going on in the NBA.

Players from the small market teams and the players without large advertising deals are punished, often not because they are lesser players but instead because they have less publicity. The perfect example of this is Grant Hill, who was leading the voting early on in the season despite the fact his season had already been ended by injury. And the league itself does not try to make up for this uneven playing field with their selections for the All-Star ballot; Antonio McDyess was on the ballot for the Western Conference even though he still has not played a single game this year.

Perhaps I am blowing this out of proportion, after all the entire weekend is about fun right? Or maybe I am just bitter because I am a fan of a small market team and I have to watch GP start the game on the bench. But every year there are people who do not make the team and maybe should, like Wallace, Marbury, Marion and Miller. And every year there are starters who should not be in the starting line up like Jordan and Francis.

Why can’t the league just have the players, coaches, and media vote to determine who will be in the big show and who will be starting? This solution would be much more reasonable. The league needs to switch either to a system like this, or stop putting so much emphasis on a player’s All-Star credentials. As long as the fans are the ones calling the shots, All-Star weekend will continue to be an injustice to those who deserve it most.

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