In the first episode of “The T.O. Show,” football star Terrell Owens moves to Los Angeles, where he goes clubbing, spends a “quiet night at home” with his female realtor and fights incessantly with his two publicists.
Oh … he was also fired by the Dallas Cowboys and then signed by the Buffalo Bills for $7.25 million -- but that was just in the first few minutes. The show is not about football but having Owens “re-examine his personal life.”
While few athletes have gone Owens’ route -- letting cameras follow them around everywhere -- sports stars are increasingly joining the ranks of entertainment celebrities who participate in or create their own reality shows.
More importantly, these shows are airing on mainstream networks and featuring bigger names.
Owens’ show debuted on VH1 July 20. On Tuesday, ABC will air the season finale of “Superstars,” which this season, for the first time, brings in celebrity teammates for the athletes. And on Aug. 18, ABC will debut “Shaq Vs.,” in which Shaquille O’Neal challenges other athletes in the sports they play professionally.
Also this summer, Spike launched “4th & Long,” in which Hall of Famer Michael Irvin seeks a new wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, in the same way rock band Inxs looked for a lead singer a few years back. Irvin had previously participated on another of Spike’s shows, “Pros vs. Joes,” which pits pro athletes against Average Joes.
Even E! got in the act with “Kendra,” which follows the real-life escapades of Playboy playmate Kendra Wilkinson and her new husband, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett. (See accompanying article, "A Six-Pack of Athlete-Based Reality Shows.")
“It really changes the way athletes are viewed -- and in a good way,” said Brian Samuels of Evolution Marketing and Management, who has placed every professional athlete on “Pros vs. Joes.” "It's an opportunity to get in front of a lot of people. Some guys think it's something that might be silly -- but that’s short sighted.”
Thus far, the ratings performance of the shows has been anything but inspiring. “Kendra” has been an instant success, giving E! its biggest series debut and finale since 2002’s “The Anna Nicole Smith Show.” However, “Superstars” has never finished higher than third in its time slot and in just its second week “The T.O. Show” slumped to a 789th place tie with a 5 a.m. re-run of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
Still, in the same way washed-up entertainment celebrities have found new life on reality shows like "Dancing With the Stars" -- which has, in fact, featured numerous sports stars -- the exposure can help athletes -- famous or forgotten -- launch a post-sports career, bring in a little extra money or at least put an athlete’s name out there.
Former NBA star Kenny Anderson, who Samuels booked on “Pros,” told TheWrap the appeal for him was simple -- exposure. “I’ve been retired for about four years, and I just thought it was a great situation,” he said.
