As if David Ortiz and Andrew McCutchen didn’t have enough accolades and awards with the ridiculous 2013 seasons they had with the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively (e.g., Silver Sluggers, World Series, possible NL MVP), here comes even more fame as both Big Papi and Cutch are adding “Co-Executive Producer” to their resumes.
MTV has announced both Ortiz and McCutchen will become the big dogs as they collaborate on a new weekly, 30-episode series on MTV2, which is part of a broader multi-year, cross-platform programming partnership brought to you by Major League Baseball and MTV.
Jealous by mainstream crossover appeal, much?
It all starts with what many in the sport thought would be a failed bit — the MLB Man Cave. In the advertising biz (what I do in my free time when I’m not opining about this great game), it’s called UGM — user-generated media. MLB’s Man Cave allows famous fans to upload new videos, photos and even write blog posts that will interact with the ticket-buying schlep peons … other fans.
Add to that, the Cave is smack dab in Greenwich Village (4th & Broadway), and you have something the MTV generation would adore. You know, seeing how they don’t broadcast videos anymore.
Here’s an overview of the show:
Shot in New York City from inside the MLB Fan Cave, MLB’s first-of-its-kind space that mixes baseball with music, pop culture, media, interactive technology and art, the new series will move beyond game analysis, stats and highlights to showcase MLB athletes off the field, spotlighting the stars’ personalities and passions through a series of player interviews and features, in addition to celebrity appearances.
In other words, this is going to be like any other random “reality” show about people from Boston, Pittsburgh and New York with money and fame as cameras follow them incessantly in an effort to make them look tangible, lovable and above all, congenial. That’s so original, MTV.
What’s next? Scott Boras gets a show on how to win friends and influence people. Because that’s reality too, right?