The Primetime Softball League has not only lasted longer than most actual primetime television shows, but for a Hollywood institution, it boasts an astonishing amount of integrity. Founded 17 years ago by Larry Rosenthal and three cohorts, the idea was to get cast and crew from primetime TV paired up and playing a network version of intramural sports.And while much has changed since then—one of the founders has since left the business, Rosenthal has made the nontraditional leap from production accounting into stunt work—much has not: The league is still only for primetime TV shows, despite the imprecations of radio stations, talent agencies, guilds, studios, and the occasional A-list, though un-primetime’d, star to join.“Many people have gotten jobs,” Rosenthal reports, through playing with and against each other. With a current roster of 42 shows/teams—yes, cable and even non-primetime shows are in the mix now, as the nature of “broadcast” television keeps changing—that’s a lot of networking possibilities. Pun perhaps intended.It’s a 10-game season that gets underway the weekend after Labor Day. And if it seems unfair that a show featuring Superman—Smallville—won the championship last season, nobody said that either showbiz or baseball were easy. Both can be fun, though—especially the latter, on a bucolic afternoon. More information can be found at www.ptsl.net. As Rosenthal says, “just sign up.”
Written by Mark London Williams
