The MLB All-Star Game will take place tonight in Cincinnati, Ohio. The best of the best from the National League and the American League will compete against each other to decide which league will have home field advantage for the World Series.

I’m one of the few, but I like how the current format gives the players something to play for. When the players are actually trying, the entertainment value for the fans goes way up. The game is way more entertaining than other All Star Games, like in the NFL, NHL, and NBA, where defense doesn’t exist and I spend most of the game taking a nap. With the players actually trying, the viewing experience is enhanced exponentially.

The format changed after the 2002 All Star Game that ended in a tie, which pissed a lot of people off, including then MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. To make the game better, he instituted the new format: whichever league wins the game, the champion of that league in the postseason will have home field advantage during the World Series. Many people don’t like this format because they don’t like the possibility of a superior team not having home field advantage for the most important playoff series. However, having home field advantage doesn’t always mean you’re going to win the series, as the San Francisco Giants proved last year by winning Game 7 of the World Series on the road. I believe if a team is truly superior, they will win the series no matter what.

We watch all star games to watch the best of the best play with and against each other and be entertained. The MLB accomplishes this and then some.