The term “Snub” is used extremely often in sports media around all-star selections. Generally, the experts of the game get it right, but the fans of certain teams expectedly want to see their guys selected. Today we will discuss the players who weren’s ont of the European League of Football All-Star selections this season, but probably should have been, given their output. This isn’t to say that players shouldn’t be considered who are in the voting, but considering the ELF has made a shortlist of players to choose from, these exclusions are rather puzzling.
Let’s get right into it.
Timi Nuikka – Wroclaw Panthers
91 Total Tackles, 3.5 Sacks, 9 TFL, 1 Interception, 1 Touchdown, 1 Fumble Recovered
It’s no secret that Nuikka has become a regular on these lists for various categories. And rightfully so. He has been incredibly productive and has been nominated for the Defensive Rookie of the Year for the 2023 season. An award that he is a heavy favorite to win. Which makes it even more bizarre that he isn’t in the All-Star selections. His numbers are comparable to Dales in Paris and better than most of his rivals. He has also experienced team success and made the playoffs in his rookie year. Without even looking into his balanced style of play the numbers speak for themselves on this one. A very strange miss by the ELF.
Jarvis McClam – Raiders Tirol
Photo: Raiders Tirol
788 Receiving Yards, 8 Receiving Touchdowns, 1 Passing Touchdown
It shouldn’t matter that Jarvis didn’t finish the season with the Raiders. He still should have been in the voting for All-Star recognition. He finished higher than Nico Strahmann (Frankfurt Galaxy), Mario Rutsch (Munich Ravens), Jordan Bouah (Vienna Vikings), Weston Carr (Vienna Vikings), Jean-Claude Madin Cerezo (Hamburg Sea Devils) and Yannick Mayr (Stuttgart Surge) in yards and didn’t play past week 8, yet he wasn’t included and that is simply wrong. He was a huge reason why the Raiders started so well in 2023 and without him, the offense was never the same. His impact on the team was extremely noticeable as the Raiders limped into the end of the season without making the playoffs. To not have players mentioned when they played technically over half the season is an odd choice.
Amin Black – Munich Ravens
82 Total Tackles, 4 Sacks, 10 TFLs, 1 Interception, 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 Fumble Recovered
Same story as Jarvis on this one. Black was one of the leading tacklers for large portions of the season and his effect was felt on his departure. During his time, he was underrated massively because the Munich Ravens defense struggled at the start of the year. However, like Jarvis, it shouldn’t be ignored that these players were so effective and deserved to be nominated at the very least. To put it into perspective, Black only played seven games this season and managed to get some of the best and most well-rounded defensive numbers in the league.
In summary…
Is it cheating to involve two players that aren’t on their teams? No, absolutely not. All three of the players rightfully should have been nominated as all of them had stats that topped or were comparable to the very best and they had it taken away from them. Alas, that’s how the league has decided to structure the voting.
Until next time.