by Andrew on Mon Feb 20, 2017 3:55 pm
Of course enjoying those plays doesn't make your comments condescending, nor does expressing that view. On the other hand, essentially telling us that we should just shut up and enjoy them, and that our preferences are wrong and that we're stuffily trying not to enjoy anything...well, there's certainly some condescension in doing that.
Like I said, for you and anyone else who does enjoy the current style of All-Star Games, by all means enjoy it. I wouldn't condescend to insist that you don't, and I do understand your reasons for enjoying it. I honestly wish that I could enjoy it, because of how much I've loved All-Star Weekend in the past, and would like to be entertained by it in the future. However, there have been certain changes to the game, and personally, I'm not a fan of them. As such, I don't find myself enjoying the game as I did up until quite recently. It's disappointing and I wish it were otherwise, but ultimately it's OK that I feel that way. It's also OK that you don't share my opinion. It's something we'll ultimately have to agree to disagree upon. Sauru and I may be disappointed, but you and others certainly don't have to be if that's not how you feel. We're expressing our reactions and explaining why we feel that way, not telling people what they must think.
If people like Sauru and myself take the All-Star Game too seriously, it's because the league and the players used to take it more seriously, and that's what we've come to expect. It's the meaning it's always had for us, because that's how it was presented to us. Maybe that makes us out of touch dinosaurs, but that's the way it is. Once again, I draw comparisons to feeling that your favourite TV show has jumped the shark, or that the last few albums by your favourite band have been kind of lame compared to their first few. Just because you're a passionate fan doesn't mean you must enjoy everything without question or critical thought; when there's been some sort of noteworthy change, it may no longer have the same appeal, and you may find it difficult to get on board. That's OK...and again, it's OK if others don't feel the same way you do, and they still enjoy it just as much, or even more.
The thing is, if you do reach a point where something you used to enjoy isn't as enjoyable anymore, you have to decide whether you're going to try and accept it for what it's become and still try to find enjoyment in it, or just not partake of it anymore. After a few years of feeling this way about the All-Star game, I think I'm definitely at that crossroads now. Because I have been such a fan of the event, that does bum me out a little, but it's what I'll need to decide moving forward.