“ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALLLLLLLLLL?!”
Get ready to hear that iconic song again this fall. Six years after ESPN fired country star Hank Williams, Jr. for his comments on President Barack Obama, they are bringing him back this season to headline Monday Night Football (MNF) with his song “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night.” (And, of course, liberal sportswriters are already whining about it.)
The Tennessean reports:
“I think it’s a return to our past in that it’s such an iconic song associated with football,” said Stephanie Druley, ESPN’s senior vice president of events and studio production.
“It was the original,” Druley told The USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee. “It belongs to Monday Night Football. It really is about returning to what fans know. It’s a Monday night party and that’s what we’re all hoping to get back to.” …
Druley said she was not concerned about backlash over bringing Williams back.
“I’m sure there’ll be some, but I’m not concerned. It was the right time. We discussed it internally and it was just the right time to bring him back.” …
Williams said he wanted to come back for the fans.
“I hope there will be some happy people on Monday night again,” said the singer. “It feels natural, fulfilling and satisfying at this point when you’ve kind of done it all.”
Last season MNF hit record lows for ratings on ESPN, which took over the broadcast from ABC in 2006. Both ESPN and NFL ratings were down all around last season, partly because of the liberal politics that have taken over sports both on and off the field. This was seen most infamously with former 49ers backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick refusing to stand for the National Anthem which caused outrage across the country and calls for boycotts, while ESPN’s coverage mostly supported him in his anti-America stance.
Perhaps the rehiring of Williams indicates some outreach to more conservative audiences in the American heartland who are fans of Williams and country music and an attempt to win back viewers turned off by the constant political correctness that inspired Williams’ firing in the first place.
A small step in the right direction, but ESPN has a long way to go to repair its tarnished brand.
What do you think – Will the return of Hank Williams Jr.’s iconic Monday Night Football song make you more or less likely to watch? Tell us in the comments below!
