Sports in Seconds: Professional Sports all-star fan balloting is a joke
Well, at least it didn't happen.
The National Hockey League (NHL) released the results of their latest fan balloting for the 2006/2007 NHL All-Star game that will be held in Dallas on Wednesday, January 24.
Finishing in third place in the Western Conference voting for defenseman was Rory Fitzpatrick, a veteran journey-man from the Vancouver Canucks, who received 550,177 write-in votes in total, only 22,892 votes behind second place finisher Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings.
The average sports fan may ask, why was a bum player with only nine total goals in his injury riddled, inconsistent, five team stop, nine year career amongst the leagues elite in terms of received votes.
The answer is Steve Schmid.
Steve Schmid started a web site at the start of the NHL season called “Vote For Rory” (www.voteforrory.com) in hopes of encouraging fans to vote for the relatively non-talented player, and earn Fitzpatrick a starting spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
“Rory-mania” to a certain extent took off across Canada and the United States. “Vote For Rory” t-shirts were printed and sold across NHL arenas everywhere, and Fitzpatrick gained some very unexpected news coverage and media spotlight.
I don't want to bash this whole situation entirely, I mean Steve Schmid, did have a link to the site to donate to the Canucks for Kids, and really any amount of news for the NHL is good considering the dwindling attendance numbers this season, but give me a break.
This whole “Rory situation” highlights the problem with allowing fans to be the sole factor on deciding the starting lineup for the NHL, and the other professional sports leagues for that matter.
Too often than not, players that are not deserving are voted onto the team, and subsequently the league suffers because one, either the players voted in do not want to be there or two, the players voted in are not worthy to be representing their league in their supposed game showcasing the most talented players in the league.
I'd like to know what the NHL All-star coaches would have done if Fitzpatrick would have been voted in as a starter. Although it would be a funny story for especially the American media to tell, it would basically make a mockery of the NHL.
The NHL could have put an extra aspect into the skills competition this year, maybe a “Vote for Rory Wet T-Shirt” contest would fly and help draw some attention to the game.
Look at the National Basketball League for a recent example.
The latest results in the voting for the NBA All-stars has the two-time-defending MVP of the league Steve Nash fourth in the Western Conference for guards. Nash is also arguably having a better year this year then his previous two MVP seasons, yet injury riddled star Tracy McGrady sits ahead of him, along with the master of controversy Allen Iverson.
Although I feel it is important for the major sports leagues to include fan participation in some aspects of the All-star game voting process, I do not agree that the starters selections should be solely based on fan voting.
Make it some sort of percentage of the fans votes, or have them chose say, one forward and one defenseman in the NHL, but in hindsight of the Rory Fitzpatrick escapade I feel it is time for some sort of change to help maintain and improve upon the image of professional sports All-Star games.
It may even make them more entertaining.
The National Hockey League (NHL) released the results of their latest fan balloting for the 2006/2007 NHL All-Star game that will be held in Dallas on Wednesday, January 24.
Finishing in third place in the Western Conference voting for defenseman was Rory Fitzpatrick, a veteran journey-man from the Vancouver Canucks, who received 550,177 write-in votes in total, only 22,892 votes behind second place finisher Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings.
The average sports fan may ask, why was a bum player with only nine total goals in his injury riddled, inconsistent, five team stop, nine year career amongst the leagues elite in terms of received votes.
The answer is Steve Schmid.
Steve Schmid started a web site at the start of the NHL season called “Vote For Rory” (www.voteforrory.com) in hopes of encouraging fans to vote for the relatively non-talented player, and earn Fitzpatrick a starting spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
“Rory-mania” to a certain extent took off across Canada and the United States. “Vote For Rory” t-shirts were printed and sold across NHL arenas everywhere, and Fitzpatrick gained some very unexpected news coverage and media spotlight.
I don't want to bash this whole situation entirely, I mean Steve Schmid, did have a link to the site to donate to the Canucks for Kids, and really any amount of news for the NHL is good considering the dwindling attendance numbers this season, but give me a break.
This whole “Rory situation” highlights the problem with allowing fans to be the sole factor on deciding the starting lineup for the NHL, and the other professional sports leagues for that matter.
Too often than not, players that are not deserving are voted onto the team, and subsequently the league suffers because one, either the players voted in do not want to be there or two, the players voted in are not worthy to be representing their league in their supposed game showcasing the most talented players in the league.
I'd like to know what the NHL All-star coaches would have done if Fitzpatrick would have been voted in as a starter. Although it would be a funny story for especially the American media to tell, it would basically make a mockery of the NHL.
The NHL could have put an extra aspect into the skills competition this year, maybe a “Vote for Rory Wet T-Shirt” contest would fly and help draw some attention to the game.
Look at the National Basketball League for a recent example.
The latest results in the voting for the NBA All-stars has the two-time-defending MVP of the league Steve Nash fourth in the Western Conference for guards. Nash is also arguably having a better year this year then his previous two MVP seasons, yet injury riddled star Tracy McGrady sits ahead of him, along with the master of controversy Allen Iverson.
Although I feel it is important for the major sports leagues to include fan participation in some aspects of the All-star game voting process, I do not agree that the starters selections should be solely based on fan voting.
Make it some sort of percentage of the fans votes, or have them chose say, one forward and one defenseman in the NHL, but in hindsight of the Rory Fitzpatrick escapade I feel it is time for some sort of change to help maintain and improve upon the image of professional sports All-Star games.
It may even make them more entertaining.
