Will "Killer" Jenner Gambit Backfire?

I just looked at tonight's tv schedule and ABC could be the biggest loser.  ABC's decision to put the ESPY awards on ABC instead of ESPN could be one of the biggest scheduling mistakes in American tv history.   Even the ESPN channels, which are the normal home of the ESPY awards, have more appealing programs.   "Home Run Derby" and "the Pan American Games" are easily more appealing shows than a silly awards program whose big winner has been known for over a month. 

The E! network which is owned by NBC is taking advantage of the free publicity ABC has provided about "Killer" Jenner to run three 1-hour programs about Jenner becoming a female  impersonator.  The last I heard Jenner is not having surgery to become a woman by replacing his male genitals with female ones. Thus  he will be  a female impersonator rather than a woman.   If I were actually interested in seeing Jenner in a dress I would watch those programs instead of sitting through nearly three hours of a program I wouldn't otherwise have an interest in just to see him get an award.  E! or news programs will likely show the award presentation later.    NBC itself has "America's got Talent" for the first hour followed by a reality show called "American Ninja Warrior".

The 3-hour length of the ESPY award program makes it much less attractive to viewers.   The length implies the program will feature a lot of award categories most viewers won't be interest in.     One of the most common complaints about awards shows is that they are toooooooo long.  One of the biggest reasons people sit through awards programs is to find out who wins.   ABC had eliminated the mystery by saying the big award will go to Jenner.

Of course ABC could not very well suggest that Jenner was competing against others for the award.  If others were being considered for the award their efforts would be shown.  ABC couldn't very well show a clip of Lauren Hill playing her last basketball game to raise money for cancer research followed by a clip of Noan Galloway competing on "Dancing with the stars' using an artificial leg and then show Jenner putting on a dress.  If they did that   one would believe Jenner was a legitimate winner.

Killer to Get ESPY "Courage" Award

It was in the county of Los Angeles, California.   It was Saturday Feb. 7, 2015.   At 12:12 P.M. the call came in.  ESPY's future hero then known as Bruce Jenner had been courageously driving along the Pacific Coast Highway at just over 46 mph  casually smoking a cigarette like an old movie hero.   He was apparently unaware of the danger ahead where some vehicles were stopping at a traffic light.   ESPY's future hero didn't have to worry.   The big Cadillac SUV he was driving would protect ESPY's hero from injury when he couldn't stop fast enough to avoid hitting the Lexus ahead of him.  The impact caused the Lexus to cross over into the oncoming traffic lane where the driver Kim  Howe died when a hummer hit her vehicle.

Jenner probably wouldn't be charged with misdemeanor vehicular homicide, which in California can carry a penalty of one year in the county jail, even if he weren't a celebrity because his mistake of following too close is too common.      It appears to be a only  coincidence that after the accident Jenner changed his appearance and name.

Perhaps the advertisers of the ESPY's, such as Capital One,  should be commended for risking acquiring a negative image from sponsoring a courage award for a man who less than six months ago accidentally killed a woman whose only "crime" was being in his way.   Jenner's recent life differs substantially from the life of other award recipients,   Other recipients dealt with conditions that threatened their lives or in a few cases they received the award posthumously.  Jenner negligently took an innocent life.   Most of us would think someone wanting to give an courage award to a killer would at least wait a year or two to show respect for the victim.   Apparently the ESPY advertisers don't think a celebrity killing an ordinary person who has done nothing to deserve that fate is any big deal.