ESPN Films Dotted Line: ESPN Will Present More Grounded Version of Jerry Maguire

Most sports fans know all there is to know about agents. This is to say that they are aware that agents are essentially greedy little hustlers who make big bucks off of people who are way more talented than they'll ever be.

Non-sports fans may not be aware of this. For all they know, all sports agents are just like Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, which I guess is not that far off. The key difference is that there's a little less Renee Zellweger in real life.

At any rate, the good folks at ESPN decided to take a much more realistic look at the world of sports agents. To do that, they teamed up with renowned documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock and put together a film called "The Dotted Line." It will premiere tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

The premise (or is it promise?) of the film sounds simple enough:

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... Morgan Spurlock pulls back the curtain on the ultra-secretive sports agent industry to expose what these guys really do in the trenches. We follow top agents in the NFL, the NBA, and MLB to explore the turbulent and emotional ups and downs of recruiting, marketing and negotiating record-breaking contracts for their top-tier clients. The film also explores recent NCAA agent scandals and the complex issues that can arise when college athletes turn pro.

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Throughout it all, ESPN will be attempting to answer two fundamental questions: "Are these guys really the sleazeballs people think they are? Or are they just skilled businessmen, simply acting in the best interests of their clients?"

Needless to say, it's going to be very interesting to see what answers Spurlock and ESPN were able to dig up. It's possible that they could lift the curtain on a world that is just as scummy as its reputation suggests, but it's also possible that sports agents could be revealed to be, you know, actual people.

Kinda like Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire, one supposes.

If I had to take a guess right here and now, it would be that the reality of sports agents will be revealed to be pretty similar to the perception. They are viewed as leeches who make money off of the talents of others, and that's kinda what they are. The problem is that people just don't seem to care that this is their job.

One way or another, I'm going to take it for granted ahead of time that "The Dotted Line" is going to be worth watching. ESPN has made some good films in recent years, and sports agents definitely represent fodder for a good film.

We'll find out soon enough.