An
all-star game is an
exhibition game played by the best players in their
sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used. The players are often chosen by a popular vote of fans of the
sport and the game often occurs at the halfway point of the
regular season, although this is not the case for some all-star games (such as the
Pro Bowl). The method of choosing teams varies, but the selection is usually based upon geographical situation of the clubs or the
nationalities of the players involved.
All-star games are played as though they are regular games, but since they present a special showcase for skills, they hardly play out that way. Coaches try to get everyone into the game (while constrained by normal substitution rules), with the players not exerting themselves as they would in a regular season game. In hockey, for example, there is no serious checking, while in football no blitzing is allowed. An exception to this rule would be the Australian
Rugby League State of Origin, where physicality at a level often leading to on-field scuffles is fairly common.
The term "all-star" is not generally used outside
North America. Because of the
promotion and relegation system prevalent in most countries, an all-star game would not be necessarily representative of the season's stars.
Japan's
J. League All-Star Soccer is one of the few such games. Moreover, all-star games are not often played in many sports (such as
association football) that are popular outside North America because such sports play more games between individual nations, which are usually much more popular than all-star games would be. In the
United Kingdom, all-star teams (both real and
fantasy) are usually denoted with the
Roman numeral corresponding to the number of players allowed on the field - for example, a
soccer or
cricket XI, a
rugby league XIII and a
rugby union XV.
Major League Baseball is usually recognized as organizing the first professional league all-star game when it was held as part of the
1933 World's Fair in
Chicago,
Illinois. It was the brainchild of
Arch Ward, then sports editor for
The Chicago Tribune.
["", Baseball Almanac.] Initially intended to be a one-time event, its great success resulted in making the game an annual one. Ward's contribution was recognized by Major League Baseball in 1962 with the creation of the "Arch Ward Trophy," given to the All-Star Game's
most valuable player each year.
Professional all-star games
- * Since 2008, the two leagues have combined their all-star games into a single match pitting a J. League all-star team against their counterparts from the K-League.
- * From 1998 through 2002, the teams were divided by player nationality, with a "North America" team made up of Canadians and Americans and a "World" team drawn from the rest of the world.
- * The game has had several formats throughout its history:
- ** The 1998 game pitted an "MLS USA" team, comprised entirely of Americans, against an "MLS World" team drawn from all other nationalities.
- ** The 2003 game was the first in which an MLS all-star team played a visiting foreign club team. This format has been used ever since, with the exception of 2004.
Former eventsCollege all-star games
College football- Aztec Bowl, features an all-star Mexican team and, currently, an NCAA Division III all-star team
- College All-Star Game (defunct), featured the defending NFL champions and an all-star team of recently graduated college seniors
Other college sportsOther
