Monday Night Football Punts Hank

All right, so I think everyone has heard by now that Hank Williams Jr. might not be singing the intro to Monday Night Football anymore. Although the games will certainly go on, the high energy "Are You Ready For Some Football" will definitely be missed. (I have to admit, I prefer Faith Hill's intro on Sunday Night Football. Of course, it might have something to do with that tight jumpsuit that she wears.)

Hank, of course, made a controversial statement on the Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends" yesterday morning. He was referring to a recent golf outing between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner. In an effort to point out the contrasting ideologies of the two men, Williams basically said that this would be like Hitler playing golf with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. And although he didn't come out and say it, I think we can all figure who would be playing the role of Hitler.

Before I go any further, let me just say that I don't like to hear celebrities mouthing off about politics. When liberal celebrities were calling George Bush every name in the book, it really angered me. So, although I'll be the first to admit that I hardly ever agree with President Obama, I don't think conservative celebrities should resort to the derogatory name calling either.

And although, at times, there appears to be a bit of a double standard with these issues, let's not forget what happened to the Dixie Chicks. Their career had a "jump the shark" moment when their singer expressed that she was embarrassed to come from the same state as President Bush. At the time, the Chicks were one of the top country bands out there. If you want to get on the political soapbox, you'd better be prepared for the consequences.

So, what do I think of Hank's comments? At the very least, I think it was a foolish thing to say on a national news show. Although his remarks will likely cost him some endorsement opportunities in the future, I don't think it will hurt his standing with his mostly conservative fan base. Before you make any assumptions about conservatives, keep in mind that liberals openly supported celebrity Bush bashers.

Personally, by using the Hitler analogy, I think Hank was trying to illustrate how drastically different Obama and Boehner are. Could he have chosen his words more wisely? Sure. But I think too much is being made of his comment. Hey, he apologized. What more do you want from him?

And I think everyone is forgetting about that whole First Amendment thing.

Besides, Hank wasn't necessarily calling the president, Hitler (unlike many liberal celebrities with Bush). He was merely trying to make a point. Did ESPN do the right thing by pulling Hank's intro on Monday Night Football? Who knows?

In any case, comments like these are often viewed as abrasive and will usually come back and bite you in the ass. Bochephus may be in the hotseat today, but by next week I'm sure there will someone else to take his place.....

kw