Remember Playmakers? It was the name of the first original drama series on ESPN. Eleven episodes aired in the fall of 2003, and even though the show was a ratings success, ESPN cancelled the series under pressure from the NFL. The league didn’t like how it was being portrayed, and ESPN didn’t want to further anger a television partner. This probably wasn’t the reason ESPN suspended writer Bill Simmons for his anti-Roger Goodell comments, but it’s hard to shake the possibility.
