the onion sports network

Tired of the same old sports coverage? (Personally, we're looking forward to the end of the Tiger Woods 24/7 news cycle.) Longing for someone to satirize sports in a clever, tongue-in-cheek way?

Well, you're in luck: Comedy Central has given a series order to its 'Onion Sports Network' pilot, officially bringing the popular satiric newspaper and Web site to the network, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Ten episodes have been ordered of the scripted series, which will debut early next year; and anything in sports is fair game, from teams, to players, to fans, to products to, of course, other media coverage.

Part of me is surprised that this deal took this long to happen. But when you watch the recent crop of new shows on the Chortle Network (with the exception of Tosh.0), it really shouldn't surprise anyone.

Comedy Central has ordered a half-hour scripted pilot based on the Onion's Sports Network. The OSN is part of the popular satirical magazine's online TV news network that launched a little under a year ago.

This isn't the first time the network has tried to do a satirical sports show. Comedy Central also shot a pilot for a Daily Show-esque sports show called Sports Central that died in the pilot stage. This incarnation sounds much more promising since it will spoof not only sports figures and stories, but also the tone and style of sports media. Sweet sassy molassey, this is gonna rock!

Now here's something to stand up and cheer about: Comedy Central has ordered a pilot based on the satirical news outlet's online Onion Sports Network video series.

The as-yet-unnamed show is set to be a half-hour scripted comedy that'll poke fun at all sides of the intense, often wacky world of sports, including "teams, players, leagues, sycophantic fans, ridiculous products and over-hyped sports coverage," according to the press statement, and is aimed towards die-hard sports fans and the casual viewers alike.

Anyone who's familiar with the exceedingly clever and hilarious video clips on the Onion's Sports Network site knows that this show has the goods to score a comedy touchdown: Their fast-paced delivery, flashy graphics, soaring guitar soundtrack and on-the-scene interviews with earnest, passionate fans are spot-on send-ups of ESPN's 'SportsCenter' and its ilk.