Here's one way to scare your earphone-wearing, video-game-playing, junk-food-eating kids off the couch: have a 7-foot, 325-pound NBA star intimidate them into shape.
This is what Shaquille O'Neal, center from pro basketball's Miami Heat, delivers on his new ABC reality show, "Shaq's Big Challenge," which debuts tonight.
O'Neal's mission is to transform six obese children into fit, active kids with a healthful outlook on life.
CALLING ALL WRITERS: Here's a cool summer writing contest the Yak heard about. The grand-prize winner of this contest, sponsored by Mighty Milk, a nutritional drink, will win a trip to meet Shaquille O'Neal one-on-one -- and see the superstar play in a Miami Heat game. Plus, the winner's school will get a $25,000 donation.
To have a chance to win, you need to write about ideas to get kids more active. To enter online or to view the official rules, go to www.mightyfoodz.com. The contest is open to kids 7 to 15 years old.
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Like the JonBenet Ramsey murder case or Sudoku, the American obesity epidemic presents an absorbing challenge for active minds. Come on, lets just figure it out: Why are we all so fat?
We could posit that were lazy pigs, which seems safe but dull, and then venture to propose that its hormones in the beef, only to explore the overproduction of corn, early puberty, car culture, supersize-me culture and sugar shock. Then its back to the lazy-pig theory. See? Its fun. If only all this vigorous speculation burned more calories.
Shaquille ONeal, the 325-pound, 7-foot-1 center for the Miami Heat, takes on obesity in his own way on ABC tonight, but not to pontificate. Instead, on Shaqs Big Challenge, he recruits six fat Floridian middle schoolers kids who dip their pizza slices in melted butter, press fries into their cheeseburgers and play video games for hours at a time and tries to whip them into shape.
Utah's sale of 5,000 new season tickets second in NBA history only to Miami after the Heat acquired ShaqBy Ross Siler
The Salt Lake TribuneArticle Launched: 06/26/2007 01:10:45 AM PDT
If sales of new season tickets are any indication, the Jazz are pushing one of the hottest products in recent NBA history. As a result, one of the smallest market teams in professional sports is about to get a major shot in the arm.
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