Should Professional Sports Leagues Get Rid of Fan Voting in All-Star Games?

Jaguars+running+back+James+Robinson.

Sam Greenwood

Jaguars running back James Robinson.

Ethan K.

With the NBA All-Star Break coming up and the NFL Pro Bowl just a few weeks behind us, the yearly controversy of fan voting is still being dealt with.

For instance, in the NFL, they have put limits on who is eligible for the Pro Bowl. Only the players with the best statistics throughout the year (around 30-50 players, depending on the position) are eligible to be voted in.

The NBA, on the other hand, allows for any player to be voted in. This has caused some recent controversy.

While the NFL has had some recent Pro Bowl controversy, with Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire being selected to the Pro Bowl despite three other AFC running backs having statistically better seasons.

Edwards-Helaire had 803 yards and 4 touchdowns on 181 attempts in 2020 (ESPN.com). Fellow rookie J.K. Dobbins had 805 yards and 9 touchdowns on just 134 attempts, 47 less than Edwards-Helaire (ESPN.com).

In addition, Jonathan Taylor of the Colts had 366 more rushing yards, 7 more rushing touchdowns (ESPN.com), and almost equivalent receiving stats to Edwards-Helaire, but was not selected to the Pro Bowl.

Jaguars back James Robinson, an undrafted rookie in 2020, had 1,070 rushing yards, 344 receiving yards, and 10 total touchdowns in 2020 (ESPN.com)—all of which were better stats than Edwards-Helaire.

The controversy doesn’t stop there, however.

In the NFC, Giants tight end Evan Engram was selected to the Pro Bowl.

Engram, usually a top tight end in the league, had one of his worst seasons statistically.

Packers tight end Robert Tonyan, on the other hand, had the best season of his career.

Tonyan had only 68 less yards than Engram, but 11 times as many touchdowns. While Engram only scored one touchdown all year, Tonyan had 11 (Pro-Football-Reference.com).

In the NBA, similarly to the NFL, many controversial all-star selections have occurred.

With all-star voting wrapping up shortly, many stars have been left off of the all-star lists. Most notably, guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and De’Aaron Fox.

In place of Gilgeous-Alexander and Fox, Warriors guard Klay Thompson and Alex Caruso of the Los Angeles Lakers are currently eigth (Thompson) and tenth (Caruso) in fan voting from the Western Conference (NBA/Instagram).

While Thompson has been an NBA star, Thompson has not even set foot on the court in 2020-21, due to a torn right Achilles (SportingNews.com).

Caruso has averaged just 5.5 points, 2.4 total rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in 2020-21 (Basketball-Reference.com). In contrast, Fox has averaged 23.2 points, 3.3 total rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 22.6 points, 5.5 total rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game (Basketball-Reference.com).

While stats are not everything, one can still see how much more of an impact Fox and Gilgeous-Alexander have on their respective teams compared to Caruso.

With all of the controversy caused every year by these fan votes, it would make sense if fan voting were to be eliminated from professional sports.