Once Upon A Time, ESPN Saved Television

Over the past week I spent several otherwise valuable hours watching “Playmakers” for the sixth or seventh time.

For those unfamiliar, ESPN put out “Playmakers” as a mini-series—or, rather, a soap opera for men—back in 2004. It explored life in a fictional NFL team, including references to steroids, cocaine, in-fighting and homosexuality. In response, the league threatened to pull football highlights if the series continued on to a second season.

ESPN caved in, cancelling out one of the best dramas seen on television.

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