Well, It’ll Be More Interesting Than “The Age Of Love.”

I must have missed this when it was first announced, because I only noticed this when I saw an ad for it on ESPN. Apparently Shaquille O’Neal is branching out in efforts to find his post-NBA career path when the time comes and he decides to put those 20EEE sneakers away for good. He is dipping a toe into reality television, and at least it’s semi-altruistic: he’ll be the star of a show called Shaq’s Big Challenge, where overweight Florida kids at risk for childhood obesity (well, at risk is being kind, I guess) are given his help (along with a team of experts) in an effort to become healthy, fit youngsters. From ABC’s web site:

Shaq and his hand-picked “dream team” of experts embark on a crusade to help transform six obese middle school youngsters from Florida into healthy, fit kids – and along the way, demonstrate how other communities nationwide can help fight childhood obesity. In Shaq’s Big Challenge he puts six obese youngsters through the most intense, emotional and rewarding time of their young lives. He is aided by six specialists, including: Shaq’s own physician and trainer, Dr. Carlon “Doc” Colker, M.D.; personal trainer Tarik Tyler; nutritionist Joy Bauer; childhood obesity expert Dr. William Muinos, M.D. from Miami Children’s Hospital; Food Network celebrity chef Tyler Florence; and Shaq’s Louisiana State University coach Dale Brown. Together they go into the kids’ homes and, schools, then expand their scope to meet with the local school and government officials to develop and implement a wellness program for the children of the community, and later for the entire state of Florida.

Ambitious, but I’m trying to figure out where Dale Brown fits in on the team and what aspect he runs.  It’s certainly nothing we haven’t seen before (The Biggest Loser, anyone?), and from the ads, it reads kind of like Loser mixed with the tone of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition — it’s also a rip of the U.K.’s “Ian Wright’s Unfit Kids”, where the soccer player did the same thing with Brit boys and girls. It premieres at the end of the month, and I may just watch one episode to see how involved Shaq actually is — not to slam the man too hard, but when you’re sitting out half the regular season due to being injury prone from being out of game shape, isn’t it slightly ironic that he’s doing this?