Every July, baseball fans have the same argument.
Who deserved to start the All-Star Game?
This year it's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Some fans believe his first half wasn't worthy of a starting spot, while others point to players like Nick Kurtz or Willson Contreras, who have put together stronger offensive seasons.
The truth is, this debate isn't new.
When Major League Baseball gave fans the power to vote for the starting lineup in 1957, controversy followed almost immediately. Cincinnati fans famously stuffed the ballot box, resulting in seven Reds being voted into the starting lineup. Commissioner Ford Frick stepped in, replacing Wally Post and Gus Bell with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays before taking voting away from the fans altogether.
Fan voting returned in 1970, and ever since then, popularity has often outweighed first half performance.
Players like Derek Jeter, Cal Ripken Jr., Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and Miguel Cabrera all earned fan elected starts during seasons when injuries or underwhelming first halves made their selections controversial. Fans voted for the player they knew, not always the player having the best season.
That's exactly what happened again this year.
Guerrero's selection wasn't really about statistics. It was about recognition. His subsequent decision to miss the game because of injury only fueled the debate over who should have started in the first place.
Maybe that's the tradeoff MLB is willing to accept.
The All-Star Game isn't just about rewarding the best first half. It's also about celebrating the biggest stars.
The question fans have argued about for nearly 70 years is whether those two things should always be the same.