Shaq's Big Challenge

Making its debut on Tuesday, June 25 on ABC is Shaquille O’Neal’s new reality show, Shaq’s Big Challenge. The show is devoted to helping tackle childhood obesity, as Shaq takes six Florida kids and tries to get them in shape while showing America things that can be done to battle obesity. Among Shaq’s team of professionals is celebrity chef Tyler Florence and his former coach at LSU, Dale Brown. Apparently, the goal for Shaq and the team is to develop programs for use in schools across Florida to help kids stay fit. Of course, Shaq’s big quote at the end of the commercial is, “It’s about saving their lives.”

Though it’s a tad bit dramatic, it’s nice to see a celebrity athlete try to do something constructive while making a buck on TV. It’s also about time that somebody brought up the issue of physical education in public schools, which, by the way, is no longer mandatory in many schools across the U.S. Physical education was a joke when I was in middle school and high school, and I’m sure it’s gotten worse since then. It’s ridiculous how out of shape and lacking in understanding of physical fitness kids are today.

On a different, but related note, this is another reason perhaps the Lakers made the wrong decision in the Shaq-Kobe debate. It’s an example of the best advice regarding team building: character first. Okay, so granted, Kobe’s character didn’t seem that ridiculously out of whack three years ago, but Shaq’s was unquestioned. He’s definitely a big kid who enjoys what he does and the people he gets to come into contact with, and his enthusiasm usually brings with it a good time. Oh well. It’s doubtful the Lakers would’ve won another championship with him. It just might’ve been a little less insane the last couple of years.