The “Ballers” Universe
An in-depth look at the HBO show’s mind-blowing world
At a glance, the television series Ballers looks like nothing but Entourage with sports. There’s bros and handshakes and alcohol and boobs. You might write it off as mediocre at best.
However, when you take some time to digest it, you realize that HBO has developed a world that is unlike anything we have ever seen. I know a lot of people view Ballers as a dumb show, and maybe it is, but there is no denying the sheer impressiveness of its in-depth universe.
What follows are some highlights of what I like to call the “Ballersverse.”
There Is No Jerryworld
Jerry Jones is not the owner of the Dallas Cowboys. In the series, the team is owned by an unnamed tycoon portrayed by Christopher McDonald. While this character might remind you of Mr. Jerry Jones, it’s important to remember IT IS NOT HIM. This means the entire Cowboys dynasty in the 1990s took a different trajectory. Did they still win three Super Bowls? Did Jimmy Johnson still get fired? Did the one billion dollar stadium ever get built? We might never know, but the possibilities are endless.
Maybe Tony Romo won a Super Bowl in this universe. A boy can dream.
The Rock Does Not Exist
Spencer, The Rock’s character, is based on The Rock himself. He went to the University of Miami, played football, and looks exactly like The Rock. So, it stands to reason that, in the show’s world, Spencer is The Rock (or, rather, is replacing The Rock). It’s essentially another timeline where, instead of becoming a wrestler, Spencer continues his football career into the NFL, eventually becoming a Hall of Fame nominee.
As you might imagine, having no Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson seriously alters events in Ballers, resulting in some of the other differences I am going to mention.
We Don’t See John Cena
Without The Rock shaking up the World Wrestling Federation, and later the W.W.E., the Company does not have the star power to sustain itself. It inevitably folds. This is why there are no references to professional wrestling in the Ballersverse, and, through the transitive property, John Cena does not become a famous wrestler, and ends up selling cars or something.
Vin Diesel Is The Highest Paid Actor
The non-existence of The Rock and John Cena’s acting career creates a vacuum of movie roles for meaty dudes, and Vin Diesel fills that void — and then some. He gets to play all of the characters that otherwise would be played by The Rock or John Cena. He nabs a role in Trainwreck as one of Amy Schumer’s boyfriends, plays a football star in The Game Plan, and even gets to play Hercules. Shit, he even voices a demigod and gets to sing the “You’re Welcome” song from Moana.
Paul Walker Is Alive
Just as The Rock revitalized the world of wrestling, he also proved to be franchise viagra for the Fast and Furious series. Without The Rock, the franchise does not make it to seven movies, let alone six, or even five. In our world, Paul Walker unfortunately passed away while filming the seventh movie. However, if that movie didn’t even go into production, the butterfly effect would cause Walker to not be in the car on the day of his death. Yes, his life would be very different, but he would still be alive. This can lead us to surmise that Paul Walker is strutting around in the world of Ballers, doing just fine.
There Are Dragons
Though it’s never been explicitly stated that there are dragons, it’s also never been explicitly stated that there are not dragons. Airing on HBO, Ballers and Game of Thrones share many similarities. Intrigue. Politics. Power dynamics. Using women as objects. It stands to reason that the Ballersverse and Game of Thrones universe are actually one in the same.
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait for 2019 to see if there will ever be a crossover episode.
Jared is an award-winning (that’s not true) writer who has published featured articles (also not true) in Playboy, Maxim, and Entertainment Weekly (no, no, and no). In his free time, he donates his time to help (don’t know where this is going, but it’s probably not true) inner-city youth learn how to read (yeah, not true). If you enjoyed this piece or would like to troll Jared on social media, his Twitter is here.
