“Shaqtin' a Fool” – the Shaquille O'Neal show that makes fun of everyone in the NBA
How can you joke with your colleagues without offending them?
Sports broadcasts on television or on the Internet are a product that is increasingly flooding the world of entertainment. Some of them rely on numerous analyses, on the presence in the studios of former athletes to show their qualities, previously demonstrated on the football field, in a purely tactical plan. Others show the connection between the sport and its fans or people whose main activity is further away, but in their free time they practice and watch a certain game.
It's rare to find a comedy show that aims to poke fun at the mistakes of high-paid professionals without actually affecting them. Shaquille O'Neal achieves something similar with his show "Shaqtin' a Fool", or translated into Bulgarian "Acting Fool". It's just that Shaq's name allows English to play with words, otherwise it would simply be "actin' a fool".
The program has existed since 2011 and is broadcast on TNT, and in 2013 it became part of the 24-hour production offered to us by NBA TV. The main presenter is Shaquille O'Neal, but most often he is in the company of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Dennis Scott, Tony Rock or Ro Parish. The initial idea is for a column that ridicules basketball players, and not only those who make childish mistakes during the week. Until 2018, four of the funniest moments are selected, and since then there are already 5. Among them we can see a number of inaccurate shots, far more than 3 steps without a dribble, falls, comical passes, but also funny moments from coaching reactions, performances by team mascots, as well as some fan displays. The show sometimes also includes college basketball or European basketball highlights that have caught the eye of the editors.
However, it is worth talking mostly about the assembly, where a meaningful connection between the individual elements is not sought, but rather a fun one, i.e. we can see a pass by a player from the Houston Rockets team, for example, and at the same time show us a joyful reaction of the fans of Orlando, even though in the particular match the opponent of the "rockets" is not exactly this team. There are also sound and graphic effects included to enhance the irony, turning it into sarcasm that can really entertain the viewers.
Shaq's show even gave birth to nicknames for classy basketball players such as Dwight Howard, who is known as "Superman" in the NBA, but because of his frequent presence with unusually comical mistakes, O'Neal began to call him "Stupidman", or "the fool" . In no way do these nicknames and moments shown on the show offend the contestants. They are not affected because such inaccuracies are part of the game and should be accepted with a smile. On the contrary, they even show fans that even the greatest can be wrong, bring them closer to us. The show does not criticize, it simply aims to entertain us.
Since 2015, the show has also had a "Shaqtin Golden Ticket" award, which gives you the opportunity to participate in the show for life. Since the award first appeared, it has been won by players such as Larry Nancy Jr., PJ Tucker, JaVale McGee and even Joel Embiid. JaVale is one of the most derided in most releases, as he often has a number of sloppy plays.
Shaq's voice and demeanor are extremely suitable for this type of show because he seems like a real showman. Over time, the banter between him and Charles Barkley adds extra charm and even more humor to it all. Even in the studio we witness a number of non-standard situations that will not only make us smile, but also make us laugh for quite some time.
No doubt, in TV and online productions, this type of show can only attract fans, gain more and more ratings and celebrate success, because highlighting mistakes is not always a bad thing, as long as we see them as something normal and not we're making fun of, but serving them up in a really fun way.
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