‘Playmakers’ was a widely successful TV drama about the lives of professional footballs players off the field on ESPN. It was cancelled after one season due to the NFL’s distaste for the show.

Reason one. “Chicks dig football players.” Eric Olczyk, main character and #54 for the (fictional) Cougars professional football team said so himself in episode 6. He couldn’t be more right. Most women also dig dramas Why not combine athletes and dramas, two of many women’s favorite things to successfully attract a whole new audience to ESPN?

Reason two. It’s a totally different perspective on professional sports. Whether or not you like the league, there is no way you can deny enjoying the juicy plot line and flashy lifestyles of these characters. The actual focus of the show is the lives of these players, coaches, and team owners, and their interactions as people not players the game is actually played very minimally in the show.

Reason three. Who doesn’t want more football? If there’s one thing we can all agree on, most American’s love their football. We’ve got pregame shows, highlight reels, actual games, team websites, and movies, but there was an opportunity to fill the missing spot. A drama. This ‘guilty pleasure’ offers insider, fictional, information on how these athletes spend their time off the field. That’s TV you can’t see anywhere else.

Reason four. It touches on important and risky issues. It adds depth to the characters. In episode 9, Thad Guerwitcz is outted by his partner David to his entire team. Talk about pushing boundaries, as rumors circulate about a closeted man on the cougars news teams ask each player what they think about the ordeal. Some joke about it, some try to be as nice and professional as possible about it, and some flat out say it’s unnatural. Guerwitcz denies, and is ostracized by his teammates and encouraged to go on IR by his owner and coach. Once Thad makes all star, as the only player from the team going, he has the courage to come out. He gave his inspiring, strong speech to his teammates at that moment. Definitely not something you would expect from a sports show.

Reason five. The actual style of the filming. The show has is own unique vibe, its expressed through each player, but also the music chosen for certain scenes. The opening credits are to a song “I am the incredible man, I do things incredible can.” The camera angles, up close and zoomed, the short flashbacks, and the intense voice-over quotes feed into the persona of a professional winner. A champion.

There you have it. 5 reasons Playmakers was just too good. It attracted an entirely different audience to ESPN, gave the current audience even more reason to watch, and filled an area that had virtually no competition. I have not come into contact with one person who has not liked this show. Except of course, the NFL. This critically acclaimed show ended after one season because it brought ‘negative attention’ to the NFL and professional athletes.

Maybe this was because it appealed to so many audiences, or the fact that one of the players is addicted to drugs, another is the epitome of a ladies man, another beat his wife, and their all star happens to be gay. Or maybe it’s the way they portray the team owners as slimy and shady men who will do anything in their power to cover up the truth.

Hitting a little too close to home? Anyway, in episode 6 another lead character, Leon, who in fact hit his wife, says, “When the public discovers that your human, that you make mistakes, nobody wants anything to do with you anymore.” That’s probably the truest piece of information from this entire fictional show. Its what turned the league off to it, and on the contrary, what sucked everyone else in to it.