Their party consisted of alcohol consumed en masse, pills popped, coke snorted off of ladies’ swimsuit parts and all sorts of eyebrow-raising sex stuff. And this, I’m led to believe, is what happens on other peoples’ boats.I spent a recent Saturday on a buddy’s boat in the Gulf of Mexico with a group of friends, snorkeling and gathering coolers full of scallops. We took them home and prepared an epic low country boil. We drank a few beers, had some laughs and generally enjoyed a lovely day out on the water.
Contrast this with the debauchery that occurs on a much larger boat somewhere near Miami in Episode 3 of HBO’s new hit series “Ballers,” and it’s clear that there’s more than just the state of Florida between us. Their party consisted of alcohol consumed en masse, pills popped, coke snorted off of ladies’ swimsuit parts and all sorts of eyebrow-raising sex stuff. And this, I’m led to believe, is what happens on other peoples’ boats.
Related: How Much Is Too Much Drinking? A Man’s Guide to Healthy Alcohol Consumption
If you haven’t seen it, “Ballers” follows a former NFLer, Spencer Strasmore (played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson,) and his efforts to make the difficult transition into the wealth management field. Rob Corddry plays a doofy fellow financial advisor, Joe, and the rest of the cast is rounded out by other players (actual NFL stars and imagined ones,) agents, general managers, coaches and hot, bikini-clad Miami residents.
I get it. TV is escapism, meant to entertain. But I have to consider what HBO—the network whose content is consistently looked upon more favorably than most—is saying about the current state of the American male.
And my conclusion is this:[x_icon_list]
[x_icon_list_item type=”male”]Fellas, we are not supposed to want what we think we want.[/x_icon_list_item]
[x_icon_list_item type=”male”]You think you want a pro athlete’s life? Think again, the show teaches us.[/x_icon_list_item]
[x_icon_list_item type=”male”]You think you want to attend sexy parties on yachts and do drugs? Nope.[/x_icon_list_item]
[x_icon_list_item type=”male”]You think you want to hang out with bikini-clad models? I’m sure it has its downside.[/x_icon_list_item]
[/x_icon_list]
I have to assume that the life depicted on “Ballers” is a life that some people lead. It’s not my life—never has been. Even when I was covering sports for a living as a reporter, the craziest thing I ever did was interview a stark naked and angry Bobby Jenks after he blew another save for the White Sox.
