America's Game

Those who are football fans and those who only live with one can enjoy a sports related reality show called Hard Knocks. The documentary style program covers the sport from the insider's perspective as we watch (and learn) about prepping teams for the next season of play, battling for top positions, family issues, pranks, and insider jokes. Moving from one team to another, paying particular attention to the rookie and how he adjusts to life in the NFL. College football heroes become top draft picks and that makes for plenty of pressure even for those who don't make it to the draft. Follow along for an insider view of high profile teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, or the New York Jets and have a free ride on the information fast track of playing professional football. This could well be any other sport but football is as American as that proverbial Apple Pie and the sports reality program could not be scripted better if anyone tried.

Maintaining one of the oldest and most colorful traditions in television, the Monday night fights still leave rabid, die-hard audiences wondering whether the bouts are scripted or spontaneous, wondering, too, how a guy survives having chairs broken over his head before he lands on the bottom of a half-ton Dogpile. How does that work? WWE promotes their Monday night smack-arounds as "the longest-running episodic television show in US history," a claim which probably depends on the definition of "episodic." In each WWE Monday Night Raw "episode," slightly larger than life premier fighters battle one another en route to "the championship." The rules, of course, allow for epic rematches between and among audience favorites; and feuds, rivalries, and death threats fel audiences' frenzies. WWE Monday Night Raw favorites have included legend Hulk Hogan, Max Moon, Damien Demento, and Razor Ramon. In the last several seasons, women have made their way into the ring, proving that "Raw" nasty-ugly-sweaty brutality is not just for boys any more.

In the TV show Game Theory with Bomani Jones on HBO, Bomani Jones discusses current issues in the world of sports. He covers a range of topics, including news, interviews, and his own opinions.

Rookies and pros alike can appreciate just how lasting the sport of wrestling is. Bare chested men grappling for the perfect hold to pin their opponent down for the count are reminiscent of Gladiators from centuries ago. Crowds root and scream for their hero as they yell words of encouragement to their chosen contender. This program, from World Wrestling Entertainment (the WWE) takes us behind the scenes of professional wrestling and combines reality television with scripts taken from live events. Watch to see who will emerge as the next super star of the sport and who will fade away into obscurity if they can't stand the heat of battle in the ring. Weekly matches and challenges test the skills and physical ability of rookies. Like other reality style shows they have to win contests and perhaps earn immunity from elimination in the next round. Contestants move up through the ranks much as they would in real competition but much faster through the magic of reality television. Winning contestants are usually rewarded with a career boost into stardom.

"Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" is a television series produced by HBO, based on Jeff Pearlman's book "Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s". The first season contains 10 episodes and centers around the "Showtime" era of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, which began in late 1979. The show features an ensemble cast, including John C. Reilly, Quincy Isaiah, and Adrien Brody, and is directed by Adam McKay.

Football Follies TV show are collections of American football bloopers performed by National Football League players. Produced by NFL Films, these collections also spoof parts of popular culture. For every tight spiral, circus catch and textbook open-field tackle there are countless fumbles, bumbles and boneheaded goofs. Each episode shows that sometimes, even the best players screw up, coaches go ballistic, and fans find fresh ways to act wacky in the stands.