ESPN pulls "Are you ready" from MNF

[Natebishop3]

http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7056003/espn-pulls-hank-williams-jr-ready-opening-mnf

The Hank Williams Jr. song that has opened Monday Night Football for 20 years was not part of the opening of this week's Indianapolis-Tampa Bay game after Williams made controversial comments about President Barack Obama.

Williams compared Obama to Adolf Hitler on Fox News Channel's "Fox and Friends" show Monday morning.

ESPN, in a statement, said: "While Hank Williams, Jr. is not an ESPN employee, we recognize that he is closely linked to our company through the open to Monday Night Football. We are extremely disappointed with his comments, and as a result we have decided to pull the open from tonight's telecast."

Stupid analogy but that seems kind of extreme. That song is synonymous with Monday Night Football, for me anyway. I think it's disappointing that politics can get in the way of something as simple as football.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

First Ford and now this. It's very concerning...

 

[Nikolokolus]

I think it's perfectly OK for Williams to say what he said ... I also think it's perfectly fine for ABC/ESPN to "fire" him as their theme music guy.

Freedom's a beautiful thing.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I think it's perfectly OK for Williams to say what he said ... I also think it's perfectly fine for ABC/ESPN to "fire" him as their theme music guy.

Freedom's a beautiful thing.

This.

 

[Denny Crane]

This.

That.

 

[ABM]

That.

...and the other.

 

[PapaG]

Stupid analogy.

Obama clearly lacks Hitler's work ethic. Hitler was gassing Jews and torching on the weekends instead of puttering around a golf course.

Hank Jr. should have called Bush Hitler instead. That would be a career boost for him in the music biz.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

This is Denny's big opportunity to get Hank Williams Jr to write and perform a theme song for S2.

 

[oldguy]

Did anyone actually hear what he said?

In an appearance on Fox News' "Fox and Friends" on Monday morning, Williams referred to a June golf game with Obama and House Speaker John Boehner on the same team, against Vice President Joe Biden and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, as "one of the biggest political mistakes ever."

Asked what he didn't like about it, Williams said, "Come on, come on. That'd be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu. OK. Not hardly."

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/04/showbiz/williams-football/?hpt=hp_t2

I don't see how the HELL that compares the president to Hitler, and I don't understand why Williams apologized for saying it.

Go Blazers

 

[Natebishop3]

Did anyone actually hear what he said?



http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/04/showbiz/williams-football/?hpt=hp_t2

I don't see how the HELL that compares the president to Hitler, and I don't understand why Williams apologized for saying it.

Go Blazers

Because the only thing that they heard was "Hitler". All you have to say is the word "Hitler" and you will see an extreme overreaction. People are so scared of mentioning Hitler or Nazi Germany that there's always a hyperbolic reaction when it is brought up. Unless it's calling George W. Bush a Hitler and then it's okay.

 

[oldguy]

Because the only thing that they heard was "Hitler". All you have to say is the word "Hitler" and you will see an extreme overreaction. People are so scared of mentioning Hitler or Nazi Germany that there's always a hyperbolic reaction when it is brought up. Unless it's calling George W. Bush a Hitler and then it's okay.

No shit!

Go Blazers

 

[julius]

You guys do know what "that's like" means, right?

btw, it wasn't ok when the crazies did that about Bush too. It shows a gross lack of knowledge and class imho, regardless of whether or not I agree with the person doing it or not.

I don't know what the big deal is though, if I wanted to know what Hank Williams thought about the President, I'd ask the Dixie Chicks the same question. then I'd politely get up off my chair, shake their hands and leave, full in the knowledge that i don't give a shit what they think.

 

[MickZagger]

^ essentially...

 

[Denny Crane]

Espn can do what it wants. After seeing what he actually said, I don't see that he dissed anyone at all. He was making the point that Boehmer and Obama are a really odd couple.

 

[Natebishop3]

You guys do know what "that's like" means, right?

btw, it wasn't ok when the crazies did that about Bush too. It shows a gross lack of knowledge and class imho, regardless of whether or not I agree with the person doing it or not.

I don't know what the big deal is though, if I wanted to know what Hank Williams thought about the President, I'd ask the Dixie Chicks the same question. then I'd politely get up off my chair, shake their hands and leave, full in the knowledge that i don't give a shit what they think.

Didn't the Dixie Chicks get in hot water for being anti-war?

Anyway, the whole point of this thread was to point out that I wish ESPN would just leave the damn song alone. Who cares what the singer said, the song is old and it has been used for MNF for nearly two decades.

 

[PapaG]

Didn't the Dixie Chicks get in hot water for being anti-war.

The Dixie Chicks were anti-Bush, not anti-war. They smeared Bush on their overseas' concerts in 2006-07. Won a Grammy during those years, and kind of disappeared afterward.

Are they still around? The piggy looking one with the voice was the anti-Bush zealot. Did the other two leave the band?

 

[julius]

Didn't the Dixie Chicks get in hot water for being anti-war?

I think they got "in trouble" because they said that they weren't proud of Bush being from Texas. Something that in retrospect is a very tame complaint.

Anyway, the whole point of this thread was to point out that I wish ESPN would just leave the damn song alone. Who cares what the singer said, the song is old and it has been used for MNF for nearly two decades.

 

[julius]

The Dixie Chicks were anti-Bush, not anti-war. They smeared Bush on their overseas' concerts in 2006-07. Won a Grammy during those years, and kind of disappeared afterward.

Are they still around? The piggy looking one with the voice was the anti-Bush zealot. Did the other two leave the band?

No, they just look a hiatus for a while.

 

[ABM]

No, they just acknowledged a hate-us for a while.

FIFY

 

[julius]

FIFY

huh?

Are you saying that they acknowledged people hated them (for stupid reasons), or that they want people to hate them, or that the difference between Natalie Maines and Jam is that I can't Natalie Maines my dick in jam?

Aaah thank you Barney Stinson!

 

[ABM]

huh?

Are you saying that they acknowledged people hated them (for stupid reasons), or that they want people to hate them, or that the difference between Natalie Maines and Jam is that I can't Natalie Maines my dick in jam?

Aaah thank you Barney Stinson!

...and, please, leave my mother out of this.

 

[MARIS61]

Hank Williams Jr is mentally retarded, and should not vocalize other than in song.

 

[Natebishop3]

Hank Williams Jr is mentally retarded, and should not vocalize other than in song.

Isn't that the whole point? Leave the damn song alone!

 

[Big Frame]

How am I going to get ready for football this Monday? I'm going to be pissed if my team doesn't get ready for football.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I don't know where all my rowdy friends are at.

 

[julius]

I don't know where all my rowdy friends are at.

playing golf with Hitler.

 

[Natebishop3]

playing golf with Hitler.

They're playing golf with Obama?

 

[mobes23]

Bring back the old school MNF song -- I liked that better anyway, which probably means I'm a codger but I'm good with that.

 

[ABM]

I don't know where all my rowdy friends are at.

BTW, Hank owns all that music....including all the various weekly iterations. Guess it will all go into his private vault at this point.

 

[mobes23]

I'd be a little surprised if ESPN doesn't have at least some rights to use those songs; although, I guess stranger things have happened. Usually a big media company like that would put itself in a pretty good position in terms of content.