Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is one of my favorite people in the world. He’s what I would consider a national treasure. My aunt told me about his television show on HBO called Ballers and that I should check it out. Once she told me that Johnson was the star I was sold.

The show centers on Spencer Strasmore, played by Johnson, a recently retired football player. He was a superstar at his position for the Miami Dolphins and a Super Bowl champion. Now he’s making the transition to life off the field, working as a co-partner at Anderson Financial’s sports management division with his friend, Joe. Since this division of Anderson Financial is new, hijinks ensue as Spencer and Joe spend a lot of the first season trying to gain clientele.

In addition, Spencer is dealing with his own demons; at least once per episode, viewers see Spencer take a handful of pills out of a bottle and swallow them. Viewers later see Spencer going to the doctors for an MRI. He’s afraid that he has chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). There’s one specific hit he delivered that, to this day, he can’t remember what happened directly after it. CTE is a progressive degenerative disease that’s become more well-known recently as a common disease for athletes from all the concussions they’ve suffered during their careers. Even though Ballers is supposed to be a comedy, it touches on some serious issues.

There are some other great characters on the show besides Spencer, and one in particular is Ricky Jared, played by John David Washington. He is the son of acting legend Denzel Washington. If you watch the show, you can see that he definitely has the acting bug, because he does a great job with his character. Ricky is what you would call the stereotypical “troubled athlete.” I have a sneaky suspicion that his character was inspired by retired wide receiver Terrell Owens.

Since the show is about football, what’s better than having actual football players make guest appearances? During the first season, viewers will see Victor Cruz, former Steelers linebacker Lamarr Woodley and current Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown make cameo appearances as themselves. If you love football, The Rock or both, then this show is for you. Season two of Ballers airs on Sunday nights at 10 on HBO.  Hope that you enjoy it!

~Kayla

Kayla works at Squirrel Hill as a Clerk, so when you come up to the customer services desk you might see her face! When she’s not at the library she enjoys reading, watching TV & listening to music. You might also find her at your local Starbucks, because she loves her Frappuccinos.