What’s the face value of an exhibition game?
They clearly mean something. The summer showdown between FC Barcelona and Manchester United was nationally televised, despite the fact that both teams trotted out their “B” teams.
Since the NBA lockout started, players like Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant have made appearances at exhibitions, keeping basketball fans alive during the drought.
And UA’s highly-publicized loss to Seattle Pacific and their subsequent struggles against Humboldt State made headlines across the country.
But at the end of the day, no stats are recorded, no records are kept, and both teams go home without any change to their record.
As a team, how do you view an exhibition game? A loss can be blown off as a game that didn’t matter. A win is maybe a moral victory, but what if the other team wasn’t trying?
I’d like to see exhibition game die down in collegiate sports. Making the season one or two games longer won’t hurt anyone.
For the pros, however, using exhibition games as a way to see two teams that would never usually play each other on the same field, or as a way to see two stars on opposing teams play on the same side is genius.
And may it never go away.
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