What’s the worst way to decide a roster spot for a professional sports team? You can pick the reason of your choice, but “winning a reality show competition” has to be near the top of the list.
Major League Soccer apparently thinks otherwise. Per Deadline, a reality show is in the works between MLS, expansion team Charlotte FC, Mark Burnett, and MGM, in which the show’s winner will be awarded a roster spot with Charlotte FC.
Mark Burnett and MGM Television have teamed up with the booming soccer league and its newest expansion team Charlotte FC for reality competition series Welcome To The Team (w/t).
The project, currently in development, will shine a spotlight into the journey of a group of players from around the globe as they compete for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join the team, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, ahead of its debut season in 2022.
This is the second sports-ish project that Burnett and MGM have been attached to in recent weeks, following the report that they, along with WWE, are looking into a reboot of American Gladiators).
From Deadline’s description of the show, it sure sounds like The Ultimate Fighter: soccer edition.
The series will provide 24/7 access as the players live and train together while being put to the test to prove they have what it takes to become part of the club’s inaugural roster. The group of players will be scouted and selected by Charlotte FC, led by the club’s Sporting Director Zoran Krenta. Krenta will also lead a panel of judges alongside Charlotte FC President Nick Kelly, and a rotating panel of soccer legends and celebrity fans, who will evaluate the footballers throughout the series. Based on the results, players will be eliminated from consideration at the end of episodes before a group of finalists reach the season finale where one player will be awarded a spot to play for Charlotte FC.
I’ve got questions about the players/contestants/whatever you want to call them. Are they guys that actually got scouted by the team? Are they fame-thirsty quasi-athletes looking for a break? Will any non-winners have more successful careers than the winner? Will the winner get preferential treatment from the team? Am I putting way too much thought into this?
A potential network, premiere date, and other formatting notes have yet to be revealed. But with Charlotte FC making their MLS debut next spring, we’d assume we’ll know more in the coming weeks and months.
[Deadline]
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.