Are You Ready For Some Football ?!? Hank Williams Jr. Is Coming Back to Monday Night
Finally, Hitler and Benjamin Netanyahu can play golf together once again.
Announced Monday morning (6-5), ESPN, the broadcast rights holder to the NFL’s long-running Monday Night Football franchise, has decided the winds of controversy have died down enough that they’re willing to bring back Hank Williams Jr. to sing the introduction to the weekly event on a regular basis beginning with this upcoming season. Starting with a game on September 11 between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, Hank Jr. is back on Monday night.
Hank Williams Jr. sang the iconic opening based off of his song “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” for 22 seasons, starting on Monday Night Football’s 20th Anniversary in 1989 all the way up to 2011 when an off-handed comment by Williams on Fox & Friends landed him in political hot water.
Hank Williams Jr. said that Republican House Leader John Boehner playing golf with Barack Obama was like “Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu.” Though the comment was not meant to be a direct comparison of Hitler and Obama, and instead an illustration of Boehner and Obama’s political differences, it was taken different by some elements of the public, and ESPN felt pressure to remove the country icon from the opening. Benjamin Netanyahu is the Prime Minister of Israel.
“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 to The Tennessean, who first reported the story. “It was the original. 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.”
ESPN has been forced to lay off scores of on-air personalities and support staff over the last two years as the number of cable subscribers plummets. Some have also cited ESPN’s political correctness for a popular backlash against the sports network.
“A one year deal turned into an American signature for two decades,” Hank Williams Jr. said. “And now we’ll start working on three decades.”
hoptowntiger94
June 5, 2017 @ 8:30 am
But, he filmed opening with Florida Georgia Line and someone called Jason Derulo. So, he’s still being punished. Although, I doubt Jr. even knew who FGL was before yesterday.
hoptowntiger94
June 5, 2017 @ 8:34 am
I looked up Derulo. I assumed he was a bro-country act, too. But, he’s an R&B artist (African American). I wonder if he’s going to get any backlash from his fans?
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 8:39 am
Nah, I’m sure Hank Jr’s fanbase will be cool with a black guy who just finished recording an album with Pit Bull singing about Climate Change. Seems right in their wheelhouse.
hoptowntiger94
June 5, 2017 @ 8:42 am
Derulo’s fan base – because of Jr.’s comments about Obama, I wonder if Derulo’s fan base might be upset.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 8:49 am
Jason Derulo’s fanbase’s reaction runs the gamut from “Who the F’ is Hank Williams Jr?” to “Cable, wtf is that?”.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 8:36 am
https://www.axs.com/news/hank-williams-jr-lashes-out-at-modern-country-in-new-song-album-88272
Looks like he really stuck to those convictions for almost a year.
hoptowntiger94
June 5, 2017 @ 8:40 am
If he didn’t know who Chris Stapleton was last year, I doubt he knew of FGL (besides, I think this was a network request, not his). I probably wouldn’t know about FGL if Trig didn’t write about them or force me to watch country music award shows so I can follow along with his blog.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 8:32 am
Oh yea, MNF is still a thing.
Wheeler Walker Sr.
June 5, 2017 @ 8:36 am
I can’t stand Hank Jr’s politics or holier than thou religious 180 he’s taken since writing some of the best shit ever i.e. “Pills and 90 proof”. However, he’s a legend and was a fixture on MNF for so long and I am glad to see him back.
Batterycap
June 5, 2017 @ 8:43 am
It would appear ESPN’s admitted policy of mixing liberal politics with a little dash of sports has hit a reef that only increased revenue can help get them over. Hundreds of layoffs can help to focus one’s attention.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 8:46 am
Bringing back an artist who’s target demographic lives on a fixed income that can’t afford cable and is between 70 and dead for a sport hemorrhaging ratings seems like a winning strategy.
Dan
June 5, 2017 @ 8:57 am
That pretty much describes America so, yeah, it might work.
Dr. Trout
June 5, 2017 @ 4:30 pm
That’s a little harsh. HWJ is still popular for people in their 40s and 50s. He was also entertainer of the year several times and put out a lot of great music at his peak. I dare today’s country music singers to do better.
Adam
June 5, 2017 @ 9:38 pm
Go fuck yourself buddy
Therealbobcephus
June 5, 2017 @ 9:43 am
Espn losing revenue has nothing to do with programming explicitly, and more to do with the way people are watching tv.
Batterycap
June 5, 2017 @ 9:45 am
Yeah, lets go with that, said the ESPN executive.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 9:48 am
Well, it is. Advertising revenue isn’t down. ESPN is losing money because they signed multiple long term high dollar broadcast deals, with the intent being to keep themselves relevant and stave off people canceling cable. That hasn’t worked, as they’re losing 400k/subs a month as people get rid of subscription cable services. ESPN is the priciest channel out there. With that revenue stream gone, they’re losing money hand over foot. Ratings and programming has nothing to do with it.
MH
June 5, 2017 @ 1:02 pm
Pretty sure it’s a combination of both – cord cutting AND alienating conservative viewers.
Kross
June 5, 2017 @ 8:43 am
This is good news. Maybe ESPN figured out that their far left progressive point of view was polarizing at best. It’s probably a calculated move to bring more conservative viewers back, but it’s also the right move.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 8:54 am
They did a nice job with that deck chair, turned it for a better view.
Mike W.
June 6, 2017 @ 5:41 am
Do you even know what a “far left progressive viewpoint” is? Cause it sure as hell ain’t ESPN.
My guess is your head would explode if you watched a minute of The Young Turks or Democracy Now!.
I’m sorry, but this whole narrative that ESPN is some far-left think tank is ridiculous and simply not rooted in facts or reality. Hank Jr. got fired because words have consequences. He chose to go on Fox and spout off and put his job in danger. Same for Curt Schilling. They got fired for the same reason Kathy Griffin and Bill Maher are probably going to get fired. Actions and words have consequences regardless of political ideology.
Greg Green
June 7, 2017 @ 7:32 am
Stephen Smith sounds like they borrowed him from MSNBC. He’d fit in well there. Even Jason Whitlock opined that moderates don’t dare speak,their opinions there.
Spoony
June 5, 2017 @ 9:15 am
Make Monday Night Football Great Again!
Clint
June 5, 2017 @ 9:15 am
Say what you want, but it wasnt MNF without Hank
Luckyoldsun
June 5, 2017 @ 9:25 am
I’m happy for Hank Jr.
I just wish he would have been a little more humble about the whole experience.
I didn’t like the way he blamed Fox & Friends and ripped ESPN after they dropped him.
If you’re classy, you don’t bite the hand that fed you, even if they decide to part ways.
Even Bill O’Reilly won’t say a bad word about Fox since they dropped his show.
Hopefully, Junior will lstill ook “high energy” in the new MNF promos. The guy’s like 68, a bit old to be rowdy. Not sure millennials will be buying it.
RD
June 5, 2017 @ 9:30 am
“Not sure millennials will be buying it.”
Do they watch foosball? I honestly don’t know.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 9:31 am
Not on cable they don’t. That’s what’s killing ESPN.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 9:31 am
I’m imagining Oreilly’s severance package and 8 figure sum included a media gag order, as these things tend to do.
Mo Crawford
June 5, 2017 @ 9:32 am
not one player who plays a skill position knows who the fuck hank jr is
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 9:40 am
You can bet the 68 year old white guy on 4 cholesterol meds and 3 diabetes pills who’s angry about a third string QB expressing his first amendment right does though.
Oyster Boy
June 5, 2017 @ 10:20 am
Most of don’t get to express our “first amendment right” while on the clock. Keep ya politics outta my entertainment.
Robert Hill
June 5, 2017 @ 10:33 am
This is one of the absolute best comments I’ve read ever. Still laughing!!
Bud
June 6, 2017 @ 7:57 am
The Bocephus / Kaepernick stories are perfect examples of NFL fan patriotism!
Love it!!
Luckyoldsun
June 7, 2017 @ 9:53 pm
Sad that so many people will upvote what’s really unveiled hate at older (white) men.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 8, 2017 @ 11:59 am
(white) like that snowflakery?
I dunno man, I’m blond haired, blue eyed, fry in the sun and certainly don’t exist in that desirable “youth” demo. Try unclutching those pearls a bit.
Luckyoldsun
June 8, 2017 @ 12:42 pm
Hey, I don’t think many of the people posting on an alt-country site are black.
By the way, the diabetes statistics are worse for African Americans than they are for Caucasians.
But it’s the utterly hateful stereotyping of older working class whites–based on health problems, of all things–by younger “educated” whites that’s become common all over the Internet comment sites and that’s truly despicable.
(By the way, if anyone checks my history, I’ve bashed Hank Jr. quite a number of times over that anti-Obama rant that he went on.)
CountryKnight
June 5, 2017 @ 9:48 am
About time. There was no reason to dump him in the first place.
The song was legendary. Best part of MNF was hearing it. Childhood nostalgia is bubbling over.
RWP
June 5, 2017 @ 9:51 am
You seem very angry about this Buckshot. Angry Buckshot.
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 9:58 am
Don’t confuse snark with anger. This is a desperate hail mary (ooh, look, a football reference!) from a struggling corporate entity to revive a dead brand.
RG
June 5, 2017 @ 10:09 am
I agree with that. ESPN knows MNF is almost dead.
eckiezZ
June 6, 2017 @ 7:43 am
wait, i’m confused. are you referring to ESPN or Bocephus?
Trigger
June 5, 2017 @ 10:36 am
Buckshot’s on a roll in this thread. Don’t get in his way.
Chris
June 5, 2017 @ 10:27 am
ESPN is circling the drain right now.
I hope Bocephus gets his money up front.
Nonetheless, I couldn’t stand the notion that Bocephus was on MNF years ago, because it is nothing but a circus.
It’s like The View for old white men.
MNF quit being amusing decades ago, kind of like SNL.
But they both keep plodding forward way after they jumped the shark.
The NFL is wretched unless you are at a game, and then it is okay – but nothing more.
Thank you, Trig, for accurately setting forth Hank’s silly golf hyperbole from 8 or 10 years ago.
I like Bocephus a lot, but this sounds terrible.
Bobby Scites
June 5, 2017 @ 10:52 am
I love hank but I ain’t watched ESPN since they gave the hero award to Bruce jenner. To me it was an insult to the veterans, police, firefighters,EMTS as active duty personel. While I am on my soap box, I didn’t watch the NFL last season because of a certain quarterback who decided a football game was a place and time to make a political statement. I will watch the intro because of hank but changing the channel soon as he is finished singing. My personal boy of ESPN
The Ghost of Buckshot Jones
June 5, 2017 @ 11:24 am
ESPN’s primary revenue stream is based on cable subscriptions. As long as you keep paying your cable bill, and the included charge for their package, they’re happy. They could care less if you watch or not.
Jim Bob Junior
June 5, 2017 @ 11:25 am
So you’re gonna tune in just to watch Hank Jr, FGL, and Jason Derulo?
Honky
June 5, 2017 @ 11:15 am
Hank should refuse to do it.
Seak05
June 5, 2017 @ 11:20 am
Espn, which is massively corporate, and kisses the nfl’s & coaches bits, but being called liberal always makes me laugh hysterically.
Cable is dieing bc it’s massively expensive to subscribe & for very little benefit. Might as well watch mnf in a bar, then pay 100/month. (Also as an aside espn still makes massive $$, it’s just that they didn’t turn enough of a net profit to make stockholders happy. Focus on net profit for stockholders vs gross profit is killing economy.)
Anyways whatever, it’s a good song, and I try pretty hard to separate music from artist, so I’m glad it’s back. But hank Williams is as political in both his music & comments as any country or americanna artist in the biz.
MH
June 5, 2017 @ 1:05 pm
You act as if corporations are conservative-only.
There is a study out saying that ESPN lost about 30% of its conservative viewership.
Anyone stating that it’s JUST due to cord cutting is putting their head in the sand.
seak05
June 5, 2017 @ 3:00 pm
For the record, a sports network covering athletes speaking out and/or problems in sports related to race/sex isn’t actually liberal…it’s called being a sports news organization. And if a conservative cuts ESPN because of it, they are the definition of snowflake.
That being said, for that to be a valid statistic, it would have to be compared to the % of liberal viewership they’d lost i.e. if of the lost viewership 30% was Conservative, that would mean the bulk of the loss (70%) was non-conservative, which would actually argue against your point. Also you’d have to control for other variables etc. Statistics are an incredibly powerful tool…but they require appropriate context to do the work.
MH
June 6, 2017 @ 9:44 am
Even ESPN anchor Linda Cohn says that the partisan-lean is hurting ESPN:
http://nypost.com/2017/04/27/sportscenter-anchor-agrees-politics-are-hurting-espn/
Greg Green
June 7, 2017 @ 7:38 am
Read Jason Whitlock’s views of the lack of diversity in espn’ s opinons. And they make a lot of money but lose so much they’re dragging Disney down. Skip Bayless says the reason he left espn was because of the gargantuan broadcast contracts espn signed with pro ball. He said he knew espn couldn’t survive those costs.
Mike W.
June 5, 2017 @ 3:18 pm
I really don’t get the “ESPN is a bastion for liberal ideas” narrative. Sorry, but the few times I have watched the network in recent years, I haven’t taken away the idea that they are force-feeding liberal politics to viewers. Have they broached national subject matter that works its way into sports? At times, but I would hardly call it overt 99% of the time. Hell, Curt Schilling got fired not because he was/is a conservative, he got fired because actions and words have consequences as they always had.
Regarding the drop in conservative viewership, that is really pointless. Unless those conservatives are cutting cable, ESPN could care less. Why? Because ESPN still gets their subscriber fees, regardless if they watch or not. Conservatives who whine about ESPN being liberal and do not cut cable are like liberals who whine about Chick-Fil-A, but go to eat there every day.
As for Hank potentially refusing to do it, why would he? When has the man ever shown to be all that interested in standing up for his ideals of late? The guy just looks at the bottom dollar, and that is all he cares about. That’s not really a knock on him, but lets be real. If Hank Jr. had a chance to get back on the Country charts and make a boatload of money by wearing booty shorts, praising Obama, and rapping he would do it. I like old Hank Jr. songs like everyone else here does, but the guy has shown zero real interest in recording real “artistic” stuff now that his radio relevance is dead. Willie Nelson, Rodney Crowell, and Bobby Bare he ain’t.
JohnS
June 5, 2017 @ 10:11 pm
ESPN Is Disney. Disney has owned it since the ’80s and they suck. They do manipulative things everyday to their viewers, and especially in recent years, have proven to be as liberal as they are closeminded. Hank Jr. and liberalism don’t exactly mix–at least they didn’t at the time so Disney must have paid a lump sum of money to him to let “bygones be bygones.” They most certainly have enough.
Mike W.
June 6, 2017 @ 5:36 am
Right, I know Disney owns ESPN. What I don’t understand is how exactly ESPN is brainwashing conservatives or shutting down conservative voices. ESPN has covered the Kapernick thing and Lebron James comments, but as a pseudo-news organization what are they supposed to do? Ignore a big story that people are talking about? They fired Curt Schilling because the moron couldn’t stop himself from being an internet troll.
I think ESPN’s biggest sin isn’t the face they promote some sort of “liberalism”, its that they have Stephen A. Smith and (previously) Skip Bayless shouting at each other. ESPN is terrible, but not because of some fake political agenda that simply doesn’t exist, ESPN is terrible and losing subscribers because their coverage and content sucks.
JohnS
June 6, 2017 @ 1:54 pm
It can also mean that they aren’t honest about what they do. Although there doesn’t seem to be direct proof.
CountryKnight
June 8, 2017 @ 8:37 am
First Take went from discussing sports to getting political. I used to watch that show daily and I simply got tired of the narrative. Listen, sports analysts are not prepared enough to discuss political matters regarding the Kaepernick’s kneeling or anything else. Plus, Kellerman is a blowhard. I really don’t want to see either viewpoint just sports.
And there has been a bias towards liberal causes. Several analysts have mentioned that.
CountryKnight
June 8, 2017 @ 8:39 am
“dieing?”
Barstool Hero
June 5, 2017 @ 11:35 am
I don’t think Hank (Sr) would’ve done it this way.
Bocephus is a legend, but he’s about as relevant as paying for cable. He should have turned down their offer and their ridiculous addition of FGL and DeRulo.
However, it still makes much better sense than Carrie Underwood performing the Sunday Night Football Anthem.
seak05
June 5, 2017 @ 2:56 pm
Why does it make more sense then Carrie performing the Sunday Night Anthem?
Bill
June 5, 2017 @ 3:30 pm
Sorry Bocephus but Carrie’s a bit more…uplifting to watch.
Barstool Hero
June 5, 2017 @ 6:02 pm
True….
Dr. Trout
June 5, 2017 @ 4:35 pm
It does make sense. It’s a catchy tune. Would you rather a song that sucks?
Barstool Hero
June 5, 2017 @ 6:01 pm
Pop Diva Carrie Underwood isn’t synonymous with Football to me. May as well hire Adele to sing the intro to a Soccer match. Just my opinion, they could’ve went with Miranda Lambert, or even more edgier with a rock band like Halestorm or The Pretty Reckless.
Mike W.
June 5, 2017 @ 12:39 pm
I’m guessing the same people who decided if they were gonna watch MNF based on if Hank had his theme song before it or not, are the same people who think Jon Gruden is a good announcer.
AX10
June 5, 2017 @ 8:36 pm
The reason why ESPN is in trouble.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2017/05/economist-explains-12
The major leagues are charging absurd amounts of money for their product.
Viewers are going to online services. TV is passed it’s prime.
Boom
June 6, 2017 @ 1:41 pm
Why is everyone bringing the political view into this in the first place? I have always been a Bocephus fan but I was rightly pissed off when I heard of this simply because he shouldn’t have accepted. He was on Fox and Friends to promote a previously un-released album of Hank Sr. yet they decided to make it about politics and he maybe didn’t state his opinion on it the best he was still honest about it. And then everyone drops him and ESPN fires him because of backlash and yet Kaepernick didn’t get released because of his actions but yes not the same discussion. He may be old also but y’all don’t know Bocephus he can still get f*ckin rowdy haha #whereis3
Jim Bob Junior
June 6, 2017 @ 4:49 pm
So fucking rowdy that he’s doing a song with FGL and Jason Derulo.
Boom
June 7, 2017 @ 8:05 am
Yeah that is a good point JBJ. Upsets me even more that they added on to Hank regardless of how I feel about it he would’ve be rowdy enough on his own.
TopJimmy
June 7, 2017 @ 12:35 pm
welcome back Bocephus!!
dave
June 7, 2017 @ 3:27 pm
I understand Hank coming back he is Mr. Monday Night….. But I personally wish he had told them to stick it in there ass especially with florida Georgia line
Gage
July 11, 2017 @ 1:57 pm
From 1975 and on… I own all of these… the [[ bracketed ]] ones are “10/10 excellent must have in your collection” albums, the ones with stars *** after them are “7/10 – 9/10 definitely worth having in your collection albums”… the plain listed ones are “4/10 – 6/10 meh” but not completely horrible albums…
Hank Williams Jr & Friends ***
One Night Stands ***
[[ The New South ]]
Family Tradition ***
[[ Whiskey Bent & Hell Bound ]]
[[ Habits Old & New ]]
Rowdy ***
The Pressure Is On ***
High Notes ***
Strong Stuff ***
Man of Steel ***
[[ Major Moves ]]
Five-O ***
Montana Cafe ***
Born To Boogie ***
Wild Streak ***
Lone Wolf ***
Pure Hank ***
Maverick ***
[[ Out Of Left Field ]]
Hog Wild *** (just barely above “meh” because some of the songs are quite good)
A.K.A. Wham Bam Sam (own, but never listened to yet, so I can’t say…)
Stormy *** (same level as Hog Wild)
The Almeria Club Recordings (meh)
I’m One Of You (meh)
127 Rose Avenue *** (Same level as Hog Wild and Stormy)
Old School, New Rules (meh)
It’s About Time (meh)
Basically, the five [[ albums ]] are definitely worth picking up… people seem to overlook Out Of Left Field, it’s definitely a return to his older style for the most part. And honestly, everything up to the mid 90s is pretty solid stuff.