Bad things happen when you have nothing to do on a Saturday evening.

With the Mike Tyson-Clifford Etienne fight still hours away, and no basketball games of consequence to entertain me, I did what any red-blooded American male does.I started channel surfing.

Just as I was about to cycle through the channels for a second time, I stumbled across something on Pay-Per-View called, “So You Wanna Fight?” I was in a boxing mood, so I decided to check it out.

If you haven?t seen this fiasco, you need to buy it at least once. Or at least go see a friend that has a “special” cable connection and watch it there.

“So You Wanna Fight?” is a glorified Toughman contest trying to pass itself off as a Pay-Per-View worthy event.

Yeah, right.

First of all, the entire production looks like it was done with a camcorder. The announcers kept saying they were in some Vegas casino, but the venue looked more like the parking garage of a casino instead of an auditorium.

Speaking of those announcers, it didn?t appear that they were even in the “arena” for the event. They only showed their faces twice during the broadcast, and each time they looked as if they were a superimposed image.

One guy looked like he?d never met a cheeseburger he didn?t like. The other guy looked like he could?ve used a few of those cheeseburgers. Both probably could have used a shower.

And don?t even get me started on their play-by-play ability.

It was horrible. It was compelling. I wanted to stop watching, but I found myself drawn to it like I was with the 17 Michael Jackson specials that aired last week.

The show ended and eventually the Tyson-Etienne broadcast started on Showtime. I immediately noticed a vast improvement over the “So You Wanna Fight?” product. I began to draw a parallel between what I was experiencing and the current changes in Sacramento State athletics.

Sac State used to be the “So You Wanna Fight?” of college athletics. Most of the programs had their die-hard supporters who attended games, but many people were there only to avoid boredom, or to satisfy some sick sense of humor.

The less-exposed programs like volleyball, track and gymnastics had a solid, faithful following, much like any fighter in a Toughman contest is going to have his own cheering section.

Still, there really was no expectation of greatness. The overriding emphasis was on building up that exposure, developing into something better, and planting the seeds of hope for the future.

Recently though, the athletic program appears to have gone beyond the “So You Wanna Fight?” variety and on to Showtime.

You know Showtime?s product. It?s not the best, but it?s not bad. When you compare it to “So You Wanna Fight?” it?s even better. They don?t feature the best fighters, but the guys they have give the fans their money?s worth.

You still see some minor production glitches, and their announcers have improved over what they used to be. There?s promise. There?s professionalism. There?s pride.

Almost all of Sac State?s programs today are either on the right track or are heading in that direction. The men?s basketball team has already performed better than last season and is on the verge of finally breaking into the postseason.

The softball team has won eight straight, is 11-3, and has suddenly become a powerhouse. And they haven?t even played a single game at home yet. Their male counterparts on the baseball team got their head coach John Smith win No. 700 last week and are still a game above .500 despite losing four of their last five games.

The tennis teams, track teams and gymnastics team continue to put forth quality efforts as well. Debby Colberg?s volleyball program will undoubtedly be strong again next season, and the hiring of Steve Mooshagian has the football program breathing new life.

Everywhere you look, there?s promise. There?s professionalism. There?s pride.There?s also hope. Showtime looks at HBO and sees its cream-of-the-crop announce team, its flawless production, along with its top-notch talent and sees what it hopes is the future.

Fans at Sac State can look at the product the athletic program is putting out and know that while the competition still leads the way, they may have to start looking over their shoulders sometime soon. The future is closer than they think.

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