Bound for Disrepute

Anybody seen ESPN's new reality series, Bound for Glory?

Congratulations, ESPN. You've successfully whored out a high school football team.

When the ESPN Original Entertainment gang did stuff like "Hustle," and "Season on the Brink," it was easy enough to ignore such films. They stunk, but they were just TV movies so nobody cared.

This is different though, b/c they've taken a high school football team and entrusted it to" 1) an organization whose purpose is to create entertainment and make a profit; and 2) a man in Dick Butkus who has proven he has no shame when it comes to making a buck (Hang Time, anyone?).

Butkus had no vested interest in the team or the kids, lambasted them for poor attitudes while mugging for the camera, and now he has quit in the middle of the season.

It is one thing to make a reality TV show like "Real World" where all the players know that they're simply seeking their 15 minutes of fame. It is quite another to take advantage of kids' lives for profit.

Of course the ultimate party responsible though would have to be the High School itself for allowing it to happen.

Said the snake to the frog as they both sunk in the middle of the river, "you knew what I was when you picked me up."