Are all-star games outdated?

Finally, the Pro Bowl is behind us.
This tired example of a true football showdown got bumped from its usual locale and time frame (Hawaii and the week after the Super Bowl, respectively) in an attempt to revitalize the game.
The plan was to get fans more excited and get players more involved by making it a part of the Super Bowl festivities.
The experiment just didn't work for me.
I must admit, I'm not a major fan of the Pro Bowl from the start. I might turn it on while I'm doing something else, but I don't usually watch as intently as a regular-season game until the last quarter or so, when the players start PLAYING like it's a regular-season game.
Besides, in my opinion, the Pro Bowl is best enjoyed at the end of the season, when more players are willing to ship off to Hawaii for a week of relaxation and fans can hang on to a last glimpse of their favorite players as a holdover to next season.
The players themselves weren't even interested in the game.
Okay, so they're never really interested, but after losing several Colts and Saints players who wanted to rest before the Super Bowl and other schmoes who elected to pull out for "personal reasons" or injury, the Pro Bowl seemed to have less firepower than usual.
As if the joys of the Pro Bowl aren't behind us, we now have to gear up for the NBA's version, the All-Star break, over President's Day weekend.
While the NBA has tried to make these events more engaging, some of the efforts seem to have fallen flat.
Fan voting was a disaster this year, because spectators seemed more interested in watching their favorite players, not necessarily the best ones.
Of course, that's the beauty of fan votes. But it doesn't take away from the fact that Allen Iverson, who hasn't suited up for a whole season (thanks to a pseudo-retirement), was voted onto the roster instead of other players who have busted their hump all year long.
Other festivities just don't offer much competition. Take the Rookie-Sophomore game, in which rookies face second-year NBA players.
The Rookies have lost the last seven years. So much for NBA excitement.
I appreciate the efforts of both leagues to engage their fans with these activities. But I wonder if there's more that could be done.
For example, the NFL might benefit from a skills challenge like the NBA. The three-point contest is still one of my favorites, and while the Slam Dunk Challenge has lost some of its fundamentals and gone toward showmanship, it's still something I enjoy.
The NBA might stand to drop some of its less-entertaining displays, such as the celebrity game that pits stars, musicians, WNBA players and retired NBA players against one another. Really, the pros are the only ones who keep the game close.
Football tried to shake things up this year by changing a few things. Let's hope sports leagues continue the trend until we find a mix that works.