‘Ballers’ season 2: Mark Wahlberg on Roger Goodell interference
While it may still be a comedy, one of the reasons why “Ballers” still stands out for the most part as a series is in its authenticity. Most of it feels real to the world of sports, even if it is presented in a way where there is humor and you feel some characters are a little bit over the top.
Given that the show does give you a sense of some of the darker corners of the National Football League, whether that be injuries or how the financial structure works, it only makes some sense that there would be a few nerves out there from people like Commissioner Roger Goodell. As a matter of fact, show executive producer Mark Walhberg had the following to say about it, and his response to it, in an interview with “Mike & Mike“:
“The first season of the show, the only call that I was getting was from guys like Roger Goodell saying ‘you can’t do this,’ and various owners in the league. And we’re saying is it’s actually a good thing for the league and for the players because hopefully you get the word out there with the crazy stuff and the financial side of it, we’ll hopefully get these guys to realize they gotta be more careful with what they do with their money.
“We’re privileged to get in the real story.We want to make sure the key is to make it as authentic as possible no matter how outrageous it gets. We always surround ourselves with real guys. Because the show is so accurate, that’s why you get guys like Ndamukong Suh, Terrell Suggs is on the show as well this year, Jarvis Landry, you got a lot of guys and not to mention countless Patriots. I can’t say who it is or what they’re doing yet because it’s a surprise and I don’t want to spoil the finale, but guys know that we make sure that we make it real.”
In the end, we’re grateful that the NFL signed off on the show to the extent that they did, and we do get to see real sports teams and uniforms brought on her. Otherwise, it would lose a lot of what makes it feel so authentic and cool.
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