Once a much-anticipated celebration of a sport's best talents, All-Star games have fallen into a constant state of reinvention amid a high-stakes effort by North American leagues to make their star-studded showcases a ratings hit.
Several factors, including a lack of competitive furor and athletes' ability to use social media to engage with fans from around the globe, have left many to wonder whether the standard All-Star Game model is broken.
"All-Star Games used to be an opportunity for players to build their brand," said Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing analyst in San Francisco.
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