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We did it, fantasy junkies. We finally did it. We’ve made enough of an impact on society that a TV network decided to create a show about the fun of fantasy football and, let me tell you, it’s probably the most sexist, unoriginal garbage on television, today.
The show is called “The League” and it first aired at 10:30 p.m. Thursday on FX after the inventive, original improvised comedy, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”
This new show uses TV airtime to showcase the day-to-day antics of a group of guys who all play in the same fantasy football league. The premier episode was quite possibly the most uninteresting thing I’ve seen since Bret Michael’s societal scourge, “Rock of Love.”
The show attempts to connect with its audience by stereotyping fantasy sports players into ridiculously over-simplified caricatures. There is the socially awkward, nerdy guy who everyone only hangs out with because he’s got tons of money, the obliviously inappropriate stoner who women flock to and even the guy who can’t find enough time away from his wife. How original.
The hacks behind “The League” assume that, because I play fantasy football, I am among society’s lowest common denominators and I will appreciate this certain brand of humor, which only “sports guys” can understand.
In the first episode, the socially awkward nerdy guy finds out he unintentionally smoked someone else’s pubic hair back in high school. Oh man, that’s something I can laugh about for hours with my fellow bros. Will nerds ever learn?
Not only do the writers assume all fantasy sports players are one dimensional, they also eliminate all plot development, intelligent dialogue and insightful societal commentary — probably because we “sports people” would consider that boring. How thoughtful of them to assume I would have no interest in such things.
In the place of quality television elements, “The League” inserts loads of references, jokes and images of the thing “sports dudes” care about most in life — boobs. In one scene, the camera started out completely zoomed in on the breasts of one of the cocktail waitresses hired to serve beer during the guys’ fantasy football draft. A true cinematic masterpiece, I tell you.
Just watching that show makes me want to crack open a beer, take a large swig from it, let out a loud belch and then sexually harass the closest woman to me. God, I love being a dude and if you love being a dude and doing the dude things us dudes do, I recommend setting your DVR to record “The League” so you don’t miss a minute of this fantastic new television series.
If, on the other hand, you enjoy the camaraderie of other guys who don’t constantly make jokes about pubes and if you enjoy a healthy amount of self-respect, you’ll do what I did and stick with “SportsCenter.”
Phil can be reached at
sportseditor@theorion.com
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