While flipping through the channels just a couple of days ago, I was disgusted to see the new low of sport entertainment. As a kid I found the World Wrestling Entertainment shows (formally known as the World Wrestling Federation) ridiculous. The wrestling was ostentatious, masochistic, and much more drama than it was worth. Not surprisingly, I ended up changing the channel every time I accidentally got stuck on the show. However, that was more than ten years ago, I had hoped that the definition of ‘sport’s entertainment’ would have changed. All my hoping had gone to no avail. Instead, welcome “American Gladiators” (AG), the newest face of sport’s entertainment.
Although it is not as over-the-top as the WWE shows, AG is even more ridiculous in how it operates. Think back to “Legends of the Hidden Temple” except with more obstacle courses and with a 300+ pound competitor (the “American Gladiator”) trying to bring you down.
The show probably has the original Roman gladiators turning in their graves. While Roman gladiators fought their battles in the Pantheon to win their freedom, gain respect, and usually to stay alive, AG is a joke in comparison. With cutesy names, Hellga, Fury and Titan—well, maybe not “cutesy”—and matching spandex outfits, “American Gladiators” turns from a sports entertainment show to a comedy show within 30 seconds of tuning in to NBC.
I appreciate NBC’s desire to provide new shows during the ongoing writers’ strike, but the fact that AG is on during a primetime slot is slightly revolting. I understand how sports entertainment toes a very fine line; it must to provide more amusement than just a regular sports game or talk show. But with WWE setting the standard so low and without an entire reinvention of the genre of sports entertainment, I don’t want to be stuck watching Venom take Christie down on The Wall. I want my writers back.
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