The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star game is an annual tradition that pulls the best players from all the teams in the U.S. and puts them in a series of events where they compete together and against each other. It’s a big money-maker for the NBA but is causing controversy this year due to the risk of the pandemic.

The 2021 All-Star game will be modified compared to previous years. Instead of the event taking place over the span of two days, the game and its associated events, such as the slam dunk contest and rookie All-Star game, are all scheduled to be televised on Sunday, Mar. 7. 

This puts a ton of players, teams, and others from all over the world in one city where they will have close contact with one another, potentially spreading COVID-19 to some of the top athletes in the NBA. Many players have spoken against the All-Star game and argued that their safety should be put ahead of the money that will help the NBA.

“I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star game this year. I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star game. But, it’s the agreement that the Player’s Association and the league came about… We were told that we were not having an All-Star game. So we had a nice little break five days from [Mar.] 5 to 10… And then they throw an All-Star game on us… so pretty much that kind of slap in the face,” said the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James in a postgame interview. 

James was chosen to be the captain of the Western Conference All-Star team and, regardless of his thoughts on the game, will still be playing in it.

Other NBA players have also expressed their concern over the All-Star game. Not to mention, the game is almost purely for entertainment and financial reasons; there are not very many benefits for the players, though there are many ways a player could get hurt or sick.

However, the NBA did not have the financial flexibility to omit the All-Star game as James had originally heard. The association has a nine year, $24 billion deal with Disney and TNT that is set to expire after the 2024-2025 season. Because of the pandemic, the association did not get the revenue it would have collected from tickets and other sales it would have made during the 2020-2021 season or the current season. 

“Industry insiders pegged the value of Turner’s All-Star coverage at $30 million to $60 million—money that the NBA would have to make up to Turner later if the game was not played,” according to The New York Times, referring to the deal between the NBA and broadcasting channel TNT.

The NBA and its players are expected to meet all pandemic safety standards and protocols during the All-Star weekend, which includes lots of testing, tight quarantines amongst players, and limited time together.

But at the end of the day, is the financial situation of the NBA more important than the safety of the players? And, in the long run, if a player was to catch COVID-19, would it all be worth it for the association and the teams?

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