"If the South Would have Won.” The NFL and Hank Williams, Jr.

[xchrom]

http://www.thenation.com/blog/163793/if-south-would-have-won%E2%80%9D-nfl-and-hank-williams-jr

In our segmented, culturally segregated, 5,000 channel era, the NFL might be the last entertainment product that tries to be all things to all people. Black or white; northerner or southerner; male, or female: the NFL wants your passion and wants your money. Last week for example was a nod to the wallets of women everywhere as all players were tinted in bright-pink to “raise breast cancer awareness.” The gravity of the issue didn’t stop Cowboys owner Jerry Jones from displaying his cage-dancing cheerleaders in a more straightforward display of breast-awareness, hold the cancer.

The broadcasts are also pointedly diverse as over-caffeinated talking heads come in all colors. The NFL and their chief broadcast partner ESPN particular wants the disposable income of one particularly thorny demographic: your right-wing, gun-toting, Palin-loving, southern football fans. That’s why ESPN inexplicably hired Rush Limbaugh in 2003 to be part of their NFL pre-game team. And that’s why Bocephus himself, Hank Williams, Jr. has sang the Monday Night Football theme song for 20 years. But therein lies the NFL’s problem. It's a trap game. Eventually Limbaugh had to open his mouth and just as the sun rises in the east, the bile did spew. He of course spoke out in crudely racist terms about then-Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, everyone in the ESPN corporate offices reached for their vapors, and Limbaugh was gone.

Now Hank Williams, Jr. has been bounced from singing about “all rowdy friends” because he appeared on Fox and Friends and compared Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler. ESPN’s issued the following shocked response, saying, "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."

Hank Williams, Jr.’s then put forward a bizarre apology where he felt the need to say, “Every time the media brings up the Tea Party it’s painted as racist and extremists – but there’s never a backlash – no outrage to those comparisons." So a Tea Party supporter compares the Nation's first African American President to Hitler and then says it's a double standard to criticize him because no one gets mad at those who call the Tea Party racist. I now need more coffee.

[COLGATE4]

1. Another talentless wonder who managed to cash in on his famous

father's name until he hit the 'big time' with his "Y'all ready for some football?" screech that we've endured for 20 years now. About time he bit the dust. He and Pat Boone can get together and cut some new "I hate Obama" albums.

[digonswine]

6. I don't agree with his politics--

but he is far from talentless. When he was in his self-reflective phase, he really did produce some good and thoughtful songs.

[RZM]

2. NFL fans tend to skew a bit Republican

College football fans even more so. Here's a very interesting study on all of this with graphs.

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&site=&source=hp&q=the+politics+of+sports+fans&pbx=1&oq=the+politics+of+sports+fans&aq=f&aqi=g-v1&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=468l3107l0l3188l27l18l0l4l4l1l233l2647l2.9.5l18l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=1b8c769a2b41552b&biw=1680&bih=830

It's a PDF of the study that's at the top of the results page.

Zirin's of course wrong about the NFL being the only thing left that tries to be all things to all people. Just watch Hollywood movies, which nowadays seem to be carefully engineered to have at least some appeal to a dizzying array of demos simultaneously.

And I also see he's still as anti Tim Tebow as he ever was ;). At least he's consistent. I do remember him saying on Rachel Maddow's show that Tebow would be a failure in the NFL. I wonder if he's addressed that since?

[leveymg]

3. How does a market segment with so many ignoramuses still command so much disposable income?

How many new-rich construction company owners are still left out there?

[saras]

4. They get hired, often in defense industries.

Much defense manufacturing is still done in America, it pays really well for manufacturing, the jobs have been incredibly dumbed-down like most manufacturing, right-wingers apply for the jobs, and right-wingers get hired.

I've also met kids under 21 who make upwards of $20k/month working at refineries. It takes a certain set of values to get, and hold, those jobs too, and they're not values common to progressives. How much toxic environment, 100-hour weeks and poorly managed risk will YOU undergo for big bucks?

[Tutankhamun]

10. I hate to answer a rhetorical question, but...

how toxic is the environment and how poorly-managed the risk? I mean, I could stick it out for a LITTLE while at $20k/month. I'd try to talk some left wing sense into my ignorant co-workers until I got fired for ""A'Hatin'on George Boosh."

[Enthusiast]

5. This isn't even the worst I've heard from Hank Williams, Jr.

I think the guy is a racist. And his music isn't really very good as far as country music goes.

[unblock]

7. now mr. hankey can sing "why don't you love me like you used to do?"

[mike dub]

8. This reminds me a little of the Dixie Chicks flap...

I've listened to Mr Williams' comment on Fox n Friends. He was using Hitler and Netanyahu in a metaphor to describe two people who'd be at complete odds. Call me crazy but the thing I couldn't get past was the anachronism...

This makes me recall the Dixie Chicks / Natalie Maines on-stage comment about Dubya about 8 years ago. I own two Bocephus albums/CDs, and I'm sure as hell not going to steamroll them (ala the crush-all-CD's-and-albums-by-the-Dixie-Chicks after their comments) just because of what he as an American said on the bube tube.

Oh, and I stood by Michael Jackson and his awesome 1979 "Off the Wall" when it seemed all he was doing was appearing in courtrooms and being slammed by the media and many folks close to me.
Mike in NC

[muntrv]

9. 2 words, Hank: Dixie Chicks.

[Bloke 32]

11. '...we have decided to pull the open from tonight's telecast?'

I should hope it shall be permanently removed!