Apr 07
26
Hostile, testosterone fueled Spike TV’s hit show Pros vs. Joes entered its second season this year. However, viewers remain confused as to who the actual losers on the program are.
Pros vs. Joes pits top athletes in various sports against everyday average Joe contestants who, despite often being well into their 30s, cannot stop living in a puerile fantasy world where they imagine themselves being one break away from playing shortstop for the New York Yankees – a delusion generally thought to be abandoned on average by the age of 13.
Adding to the bewilderment of observers is the inclusion of former professional athletes, or, “Pros,” for the average Joes (“Joes”) to compete against.
“I always thought there was a quiet dignity in the humble retirement of professional athletes who, having given their utmost to a sport, are confident enough to allow their body of work to speak for them,” said Spike viewer Daniel Stein. “But where’s the dignity in a former professional athlete squeezing himself back into a uniform that’s clearly rejecting him and attempting to dominate some insurance claims adjuster from Tucson on cable television?”
Part of the confusion seems to lie in the fact that, regardless of who actually wins the competition, all involved appear to be losers.
“I guess I just don’t get it. Even if you manage to get a hit off John Rocker, you still have to show up for work at Equinox’s juice bar on Monday and, either way, Rocker’s still gonna head back to his trailer in Macon and get lit on Thunderbird,” Sports psychologist Steve Klemp said.
While the popularity of such shows is largely attributed to Americans’ voracious desire to witness anyone making an ass of themselves publicly, some viewers once awash in the numbingly vapid world of reality television are beginning to change the channel.
Mr. Stein’s incredulity was palpable. “First dancing with the stars and now this? I mean, I like Xavier McDaniel but come on! We get it. He’s still tall.”