ESPN Cancels Controversial 'Playmakers' Show

[maxdemo]

ESPN Cancels Controversial 'Playmakers' Show

POSTED: 10:43 a.m. EST February 5, 2004

BRISTOL, Conn. -- It's the TV show that made Warren Sapp stop doing interviews on ESPN -- and other players ask about getting roles on it.

And now, it is no more. The cable network has canceled "Playmakers" -- after just one season. The show drew criticism from NFL officials and some players, Sapp included.

The show focused on a fictional pro team -- and featured plots that included drug use, marital infidelity, racism and homophobia.


ESPN is paying the NFL nearly $5 billion over eight seasons for the rights to Sunday night games. League commissioner Paul Tagliabue had expressed concerns that "Playmakers" perpetuated racial stereotypes.


An ESPN official says the NFL's response was one of the reasons the network scrapped the show.

 

[Fishhead]

The NFL higher-ups are starting to make themselves look silly.

Getting quite pathetic actually.

 

[bryan305]

$5 billion

 

[Jazz]

Actually, that's what I thought about ESPN - here's a company with a $5 billion deal with the NFL, with someone like Tagliabue running the machine at the helm, and none of the major brains thought that putting a somewhat one-sided fictional show that was mostly negative towards the NFL was a bad idea or wouldn't bring a reaction from good ole Pete. It's laughable.

 

[maxdemo]

NFL- No Fun Leauge

 

[sherman]

While watching that show, NEVER did I try to compare it to the real life NFL...why would I? It's a drama on television! The NFL is being stupid about this....

F$%& Warren Sapp.

 

[Dante]

I like the show..I was hooked on it..

 

[JohnnyDeMarco]

I heard Tiki Barber's interview about this show and he said that kids watching this show are not able to differentiate between the real NFL and this show. He's right. Also, no shot ESPN/Disney wanted to lose the NFL Sunday night games to another network.