A couple of weeks ago, the NHL finished up their new Four Nation’s Face-Off. The Four Nation’s Face-Off was the new alternative for their mid-season All-Star break. The new event ended up being a huge success.

Over the past few years, professional sports teams have seen a rising lack of interest towards All-Star/Pro Bowls games. This is mainly due to the lack of effort and integrity put into the games these days. Players often sit out of the All-Star games or they choose the path of not trying at all.

In hopes of fixing this issue, leagues have been trying to come up with an effective solution to fix the attendance and interest in their mid-season events. Currently, the MLB is the only one of the Big four  US sports leagues to not attempt a different format.

The NBA’s alternative

In 2025, the NBA thought of a new setup for their All-Star game that would consist of four teams playing against each other for a crown. All four teams would be made up of the best NBA players in the league. Each team would play two games, the first one as a semi final game, and the last as either the consolation bracket championship or winner’s championship

The four teams were managed by Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith, Charles Barkley, and Candace Parker, with Candace Parker’s team consisting of Rising Stars players. Kenny, Shaq, and Charles all drafted their rosters out of a pool of fan voted players. While this event may seem to be something new and exciting, many players did not appreciate the new format.

“It was kind of tough, I think at the beginning you have the energy, the adrenaline, you’re going and then you sit for 30-45 minutes. That was tough, to be honest with you. It’s a work in progress.” This was said by Cleveland Cavaliers and Chuck’s Global Stars guard Donovan Mitchell in an interview with Tim Bontemps from ESPN.

The NFL’s dumpster fire

It’s no doubt football is the most dangerous of the big four. That is strong reason for why the NFL has always held their Pro Bowl game at the end of the season. The Pro Bowl is always placed one week into the two week break before the Super Bowl. This was so fans could be provided with a form of entertainment while the final two teams are preparing for the Super Bowl. However, over the past couple of seasons the NFL has experienced a lack of interest and viewership in the Pro Bowl game. Players are often seen to be never trying/jogging through the whole game and not playing the game how it used to be played.

In hopes of solving this issue, the NFL created a new format called the “Pro Bowl Games” in hopes of securing their old fans back. The Pro Bowl Games would consist of the best NFL players across the league, competing in mini games such as dodge-ball, skills competition, and ending in a flag football game. Sadly though, this new format was not a success for NFL fans as they longed for the lost joy of the old Pro Bowl game.

The Four Nation’s Impact

As stated before, the NHL’s Four Nation’s Face-Off was a huge success, not only to life long hockey fans, but also people with a newly discovered an interest in the game. The NHL found a way to fix its dreadful All Star game as well as find a larger audience. The Four Nation’s game gave fans not only the excitement of watching a competitive hockey game, but also rooting for their countries.

During Team USA and Canada’s first matchup against each other, the Tkachuk brothers started a fight within the first nine seconds of the game. This kind of mentality and ambition towards the game is exactly what hockey fans have been looking for. They have been searching for something that will not only provide joy to the fans, but will actually motivate the players to want to be physical and compete.

In a recent interview with reports, New Jersey Devils and Team USA forward, Jack Hughes stated, “Yeah, I’ve had a lot of fun these last bunch of days, so hopefully we can cap it off well, and end the week of with a great note.”

This shows the impact the new Four Nation’s Face-Off has had in the past couple of weeks, and how it is the right direction for the NHL, and hopefully other leagues figure out a way to revamp their lackluster mid-season sleepfests.