The NBA and NHL are both on break right now, taking different approaches to what has typically been a weekend of All-Star festivities.
RandBall: Whoever is in charge of the pro sports calendar should be fired
There is no way that we should have a dead week of pro sports in the middle of what is the busiest times of the year.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
February 17, 2025 at 4:58PM
The NBA decided to ruin its exhibition even more with a nonsensical format. The NHL is doing the 4 Nations Face-off, a gimmick that at least produces watchable games but serves as a too-long grinding midseason distraction.
MLB spring training is still in the long toss phase, as the Twins prepare for their first exhibition game Saturday. Major League Soccer somehow starts Saturday as well; the Loons' first home game is a week later on March 1, and hopefully nobody gets frostbite.
The NFL season is over, with the Super Bowl played more than a week ago, though it’s obvious now (aside from greed) why the league wants to add one more weekend to its grind and have the Super Bowl over Presidents' Day weekend:
Somebody has to fill the nonsensical pro sports void because whoever is in charge of the collective calendar right now should be fired — something Patrick Reusse and I talked about on the Daily Delivery podcast Monday.
Perhaps that is the problem contained within the rant: Nobody is specifically in charge of all the pro sports. We could use a GM overseeing all the leagues to bring into focus a shared common interest for fans.
Because there is no reason that in Minnesota, we will go five full days, starting with Sunday ending with Thursday, without even an exhibition game featuring the Wolves, Wild, Twins, Loons, Vikings or Lynx.
This isn’t mid-July and the baseball All-Star break, where at least we have the WNBA and at least everyone would rather be at the lake. This is mid-February, and we have been abandoned right when we are most likely to huddle under blankets and watch TV.
And yes, I know, there are other sports on right now. The Frost (who by the way haven’t won since Jan. 28) have a game Tuesday. There is plenty of men’s and women’s college basketball both locally and nationally.
Plus we never really need sports to be on in the first place. They are a pleasant diversion, not a right.
But if we are going to have billion dollar leagues on 32,000 different channels or streaming platforms all screaming for our attention, it might be nice if they talked to each other before they left a giant hole in the sports calendar.
Or before they all hit us with a fire hose next weekend: the Wolves have home games Friday and Sunday; the Wild have a road game Saturday, while the Frost have a home game Sunday; the Loons open their regular-season Saturday; the Twins open their spring training schedule Saturday.
Please make it make sense.
Minnesota, which had lost five of its past six, benefitted from big games by Grace Grocholski and Sophie Hart.
