February 05, 2004

NO LONGER ROLLIN' ALONG: ESPN

NO LONGER ROLLIN' ALONG: ESPN today announced the cancellation of "Playmakers," its first-ever dramatic series, bowing to pressure from the NFL. The league, which has a multi-million dollar contract with the network to broadcast NFL games, had complained loudly and constantly about the football-themed show, which they felt made the league look bad.
I'm of two minds on this issue- as a journalist, I never like seeing news institutions (which ESPN, "Cold Pizza" notwithstanding, still is) bullied into making decisions by their clients/advertisers. But on the other hand, I'm not particularly sorry to see "Playmakers" go, simply because it was a poorly written, shoddily-produced show that was full of one-dimensional characters and pushed the "ripped from the headlines" gimmick to ridiculous extremes, attempting to shoehorn versions of every major off-field sports scandal of the past 15 years into one season of one team. Never mind that whole "Piss Man" episode, which ruined at least the entire first half of the season for me.
Still, I like the quote in the above story by Ray Lewis, stating that "they should have canceled it, [because] that show don't mean nothing -- that show is nothing about us." What, just because they ran a plotline that was clearly based on the double-murder for which Lewis was indicted?
Now, as soon as ESPN gets rid of "Beg, Borrow, and Deal," those within-SportsCenter Taboo games, and Sean Salisbury, they'll finally be back in my good graces.

Posted by Stephen Silver at February 5, 2004 01:26 AM
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