You Can't Avoid Boyd - Dropping the H-Bomb

Dropping the H-Bomb

Monday Night Football has always started for me with Hank Williams Jr. screaming “Are you ready for some football?!?!”, and then breaking into his football-altered country hit “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight". Well, it is safe to say we will never hear that intro ever again. On Monday morning, Williams Jr. made some controversial comments on the TV show “Fox & Friends”. When talking about a planned gold outing with Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner and Democrat President Barack Obama, Williams Jr. said “That would be like Hitler playing golf with (current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu. Not hardly. In the shape this country is in?” When the hosts asked for clarification on the analogy, Williams Jr. mentioned how many people considered Obama the enemy and that he was comparing the President to the leader of the Aryan Nation. ESPN decided to pull his MNF intro from this week’s game and distanced themselves from the hullabaloo. Late Monday night, Hank Williams Jr. issued a statement saying his comments were “misunderstood” and he was just trying to make a comment on how ridiculous the pairing was and how he respects the President.

This is not the first Adolf Hitler comment to get someone in trouble. When talking about how then-current Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez was a good leader despite his bad coaching record in 2008, ESPN broadcaster Lou Holtz sarcastically said “Ya know, Hitler was a good leader too.” Holtz backtracked immediately from the comment and issued an apology the next day. He was not reprimanded, unlike ESPN columnist Jemele Hill. Hill was suspended from her ESPN article when she posted the following editorial on how she could not root for the Boston Celtics in the 2008 playoffs: "Rooting for the Celtics is like saying Hitler was a victim.” Megan Fox was fired from the “Transformers” movie series when she compared director Michael Bay to Hitler.

Celebrities need to stop mentioning Hitler’s name. I understand what Williams Jr. meant with his analogy (I don’t understand his explanation afterwards.) It was a very awkward pairing. I understand what Lou Holtz meant. Hitler was effective at leading men. Unfortunately, it was for the most fucked up reason of all time. No matter how appropriate the comment may be, bringing up Hitler is always going to come off in poor taste and allow people to think you are comparing that person to the man who tried to eliminate the Jews. Even if that is not the intent of the comparison, it is how it appears. Hitler even ruined the little mustache look. Despite Michael Jordan’s attempt to make it stylish, it was always be referenced to Germany’s most famous failed artist. Hitler equals bad, it’s as simple as that. Just like Schiavo means not moving or Cleary means secret fag.

              -Written by Marcus Boyd