If you've read the 'About Me' section of this blog, you might have noticed that I own every All-Star Game since 1984 on DVD. An obvious - and valid - question might be "Why since 1984?". I'd like to give a poetic answer pertaining to Jordan's entrance into the NBA in that same year, but, well, I'd be lying. The real answer is rather more mundane: the company I bought the DVDs from, Pontel, only has All-Star Games going back that far (if anyone has copies of the older games, please let me know - I have PayPal ready and waiting).
Thinking about it positively, I suppose limiting my collection to the last three decades' worth of games does save some shelf space for my girlfriend's Take That concert DVDs. (And there is your answer to why I spend so much of my time on the internet - there's only so much one can take of Gary Barlow and friends).
As has been mentioned elsewhere, my basketball obsession started in the early 1990s and I've watched every All-Star Game live on TV since then (except this year's, which I had the privilege of attending). In fact, staying up until 4:30am on All-Star Sunday has become an annual rite of passage (remember, we're 5-8 hours ahead of the USA over here in the UK). In my previous job, I would book the next day off work knowing that I'd be too tired to stay awake at my desk. These days I'm a secondary school teacher, so booking a day off work isn't an option (don't you just love it when teachers complain about lack of time off?). Instead, I tend to plan effortless video lessons for the Monday after All-Star weekend and sit in the corner of the classroom drinking black coffee or talking to (the rare few) kids who saw the game.
Since getting the DVDs a few months ago, I have sat through every All-Star Game between 1984 and 1998. That's approximately 38 hours of behind-the-back passes, alley-oops, bad hairdos and defensive apathy.
That also means I still have at least another decade's worth of games to watch.
Pure basketball heaven.
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