Who cares? The world over, these shows are utter cowshit.
You can do these in singing etc because the amount of people capable of singing a pop song (given a decent songwriter and top level production) is pretty high. Not everyone can do it, but a large minority of the population can. Being an elite sportsman is something that you can't fake or achieve purely through hyping someone who hasn't got it.
Examples:
In 2007, Season One of Football Icon ran in the UK. The winner won a contract with Chelsea. How many games did he play for them? Zero. Not only that, but when they released him, how many of the other 91 professional clubs in England signed him? None. He's now playing in a local league for a purely amateur outfit with maybe 10 fans at each game. That's where he was before the show and where he belongs.
In 2008, the winner again signed for Chelsea. He never played a game for them and within a few years of the show, he was in the semi-professional ranks again below the 92 professional clubs in England. This season - seven years after the show, he has finally got a contract with a fully-professionally club... who finished 90th out of the 92 clubs last year. One place lower and they'd not be in the league this year either.
The AFL did this the other year with The Recruit. The guy who won it got a contract with Port Adelaide. He doesn't even appear on there list for this year and looks like he's back in the SANFL after all.
