Few athletes have tasted the super-duper-ridiculously-crazy amount of stardom of Shaquille O’Neal. Anywhere you go in the United States, and almost anywhere in the world, people know who Shaq is. He has conquered almost every medium with his enormous personality: Shaq as “Kazaam” at the movies; Shaq the rapper (“That’s the difference between first and last place/Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes!”); Shaq the volunteer Miami cop; Shaq the video game street fighter (anyone remember Shaq Fu?); Shaq (a.k.a. Diesel) the MMA fighter; not to mention winning four NBA Championships by teaming up with Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and now LeBron James (to “win a ring for the King”).
Probably the only thing more impressive than Shaq’s frame and personality is his talent. Now imagine that on TV. Who wouldn’t want to watch that, no matter what the show was about?
In Shaq Vs., the Big Aristotle has decided that success in all of these realms is not enough, so he’s out to take on the best athletes in the world in their sports. He takes on Super Bowl champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in a game of football, Olympic gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh in beach volleyball, World Series Champion Albert Pujols in baseball, former champion Oscar de la Hoya in boxing and million time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps in swimming.
So lets add this up now: one of the biggest, most entertaining athletes ever, taking on the best of the best of the best in other sports that he has never played before. If the Great Shaq-tus wins anything, he’s a huge underdog champion. If he loses, it will probably be the funniest thing ever to watch. How can you not love it?
If I want to watch an over-the-hill wide receiver cry and ruin a football organization, I’ll watch coverage of T.O. on Sports Center. There is absolutely NO reason at all to give this man a reality show. He’s annoying, whiny, overrated, and, now, playing for one of the perennial losers in the NFL (sorry to my home of western New York, but the Bills suck). There is absolutely no reason to watch this show. It’s reality TV at its worst.
Shaq Vs., on the other hand, is a brilliant show, with a brilliant star. C’mon now, folks. There’s no reason to watch The T.O. Show, and every reason to watch Shaq Diesel a.k.a. Dr. Shaq a.k.a. Superman a.k.a. The Big Baryshnikov a.k.a. Wilt Chamberneezy a.k.a. Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal, a legend of entertainment, light up the television screen and faces around the country.
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