On Garth Brooks Stepping Away from Entertainer of the Year
Once again Garth is being Garth, which means ultimately he’s probably doing the right thing and making a good choice. He’s just doing it in the most self-gratifying of ways. His heart is 100% in the right place. But his ego won’t allow him to make an altruistic move without letting everyone else know what he’s doing to vacuum up any residual kudos and attention for himself that he can.
On Wednesday morning (7-29), Garth took to Facebook Live to participate in a news conference where he announced he is taking himself out of the running for the CMA Entertainer of the Year award for 2020. Voting for the first ballot that narrows the field of potential nominees down to 20 or so finished up recently, and the second ballot that narrows the field down to the eventual five nominees is sent out on July 31st. According to Garth, he tried to eliminate himself from contention overall, which the CMA said they couldn’t do since voters get to name whomever they wish initially. So he’s now asking for voters to not vote for him if his name appears on the July 31st ballot, which it likely will.
The setup for this was the 2019 CMA Awards when many believed Carrie Underwood would win Entertainer of the Year with all the emphasis on women placed on both country music in 2019, and the CMA presentation specifically. Eric Church fans also felt it was his year with the type of tour numbers he amassed during the eligibility period. In truth, the award was always likely Garth’s to lose as the guy holding one of the biggest touring purses in all of music. But the expectation was for it to be someone else’s year. When it turned out to be Garth’s once again—his 7th overall and 3rd in four years—a backlash ensued.
“It wasn’t fun. Let’s put it that way,” Garth says about winning the 2019 CMA Entertainer of the Year and receiving so much criticism for it, even though it was the voter’s decision, not Garth’s. Brooks also said that it was one specific tweet he saw from a fan asking why Garth didn’t just step down and allow the award to be the realm of the next generation that secured his decision. “I 100% agreed.”
So this year, specifically wanting to avoid any drama or negative publicity for himself, Garth Brooks says he’s ceding his chances of winning to other artists who’ve never received that opportunity, and not just for 2020, but forever.
Hats off to Garth for wanting to recuse himself for any further consideration. Knowing how much awards and Entertainer of the Year specifically means to Garth, it couldn’t have been an easy conclusion to come to. But to call a press conference, to make such a big deal about it, to basically say that he’s likely to be the shoo-in for the award not just for this year but through 2022—which he underscored in the press conference and the subsequent Q&A—is prime Garth, planting the seed that he probably would win if everything was equal. But now in the event he would have lost anyway, he can say he took himself out of contention in the first place.
Garth Brooks also mentioned that he tried to set up some sort of “Entertainer of the Year Emeritus” designation through the CMA as part of him recusing himself from eligibility, but that never came to fruition, partly due to the CMA cancelling their annual Fan Fest in Nashville this year where perhaps an announcement would have been made. Exactly what shape the “Entertainer of the Year Emeritus” for Garth Brooks would have taken, we don’t exactly know. But Garth said and reiterated that it was his idea, not the CMAs.
The short term implications of Garth Brooks pulling out of the award is it puts artists like Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Luke Combs, and others one step closer to not only receiving a nomination, but possibly winning it. With so few slots, it most certainly will result in an injection of fresh blood into the Entertainer nomination process.
The other issue this brings up is the continued tying of Entertainer of the Year almost entirely to touring stats and an artist’s concert imprint, which was never what this award was supposed to be about. This is what much of the discussion during the press conference centered around. Touring is certainly a significant factor in the award. But so should be an artist’s cultural impact, their record sales and radio play, perhaps even social media presence and other intangibles like movie appearances. Entertainer of the Year should not be who made the most money on the road or played in front of more fans. It should be about who best defines what country music is in a given year.
And as much as Garth Brooks didn’t really fit that designation in 2019 (if anyone did, it probably was Luke Combs who wasn’t even nominated), it’s also a slippery to ignore artists for the award just because they’re “old” or from a previous generation. Think about how Alan Jackson’s career caught a second win in the early 2000’s after “Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)” took off, and he won Entertainer of the Year in 2002 and 2003, or when George Strait won it in 2013 in the midst of his massive farewell tour. There should still be opportunities for older artists to win. Age should not be a factor. Total entertainment value should be. Who is to say Garth Brooks won’t be that guy in the coming years? Even as we want to emphasize fresh blood in country, as well as diversity and inclusion, music must still remain a meritocracy and not resort to tokenism, or these awards will lose all of their meaning.
Garth Brooks probably did the right thing here. What he did wrong is when he did win Entertainer in 2019, not at least acknowledging Carrie Underwood and the women of country from the podium, and accepting the award on their behalf, or shouting out Eric Church and his fans for all the work they had put in, and being ahead of this issue as opposed to behind it, which could have put some of that controversy immediately to rest. Garth failed to read the room, and waited 10 months to formally address the issue.
Yet he did finally address it, and as plastic and lacking of self-awareness as Garth can be, it’s hard to question his underlying sincerity. Some may forget, but in 1996 Garth won Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards, and in his speech he refused to accept it, believing Hootie and the Blowfish deserved it more. When Garth Brooks was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012, he first tried to turn it down, insisting Randy Travis and Keith Whitley should go in before him. That’s just the kind of guy he is, even if he tries to roll it into marketing himself later. That’s just not the guy we saw at the 2019 CMA Awards.
So Garth Brooks won’t be the next Entertainer of the Year, which he probably shouldn’t be if we consider Entertainer of the Year more broadly as opposed to simply regarding it as a touring trophy. And if the CMA would work to reset the requisites for Entertainer of the Year to a more broad-based set of accomplishments, the controversies that have raged over some of the recent winners—especially Garth who won it three of the last four years due to touring—would likely be put to bed. The problem is not Garth. It’s the Entertainer of the Year process that weighs touring too heavily.
LB
July 29, 2020 @ 11:46 am
He has been claiming the situation has been bothering him for eight months, but if he truly feels that way, why couldn’t he have said something during his speech? He seemed awfully happy up there…he’s honestly so sketchy and comes across as insincere nowadays.
in Triggs blog Dale pays no rent in Triggs blog Dale pays no rent
July 29, 2020 @ 3:11 pm
u no why garth dudnt compete any more cuz Id kick his ass
JPalmer
July 29, 2020 @ 4:21 pm
Pipe it down chachi
wuk
July 29, 2020 @ 11:55 am
He I think is sincere and humble and the number of awards he was winning concerned him many years ago. This does not come as too much of a surprise. On routing, he was a worthy winner but there are other worthy candidates.
Allie
July 29, 2020 @ 12:01 pm
You truly think he was a worthy winner at the 2019 CMA Awards in comparison to both Eric and Carrie? You seem like the CMA voters who are a bit out of touch with eligibility periods, actually busting butt out on tour, etc…I wouldn’t exactly call him humble either considering he didn’t even have the decency to recognize his fellow nominees and the woman who was considered a shoe-in following how heavily the award was teased in her favor. Lmao his Instagram caption following his win was “Lucky Number 7,” which is basically the opposite of being humble.
Wuk
July 29, 2020 @ 12:36 pm
Of course he was a worthy winner. Those that saw him in concert would probably agree. He puts on a really great show. Good luck to him. Personally, I would have voted for either artist you mentioned. I was disappointed Eric Church didn’t win it. He would Definitely have had my vote.
LB
July 29, 2020 @ 12:48 pm
Yeah, but the number of concerts he played can be counted on two hands lmao. It’s not worth rehashing but still. If anyone else in the category did 10 shows, they wouldn’t have even been nominated regardless of how good the concert is. That’s part of the whole issue with his win and the following frenzy.
Wuk
July 29, 2020 @ 2:25 pm
Must have very big hands! At least Eric Church was I think nominated. I would have really liked him to win it. He deserved it in my opinion as did a number of other younger artists. Must admit though I really don’t care about award shows or who wins what. I care far more about the music. I like Garth, I like Eric as well.
Jimmy
July 29, 2020 @ 4:17 pm
Had Underwood (whom I don’t care for) and Church (whom I somewhat like, although he’s becoming as phoney as Garth) sold out numerous stadium shows in only a few minutes the previous year, one of them would have beaten Garth. The right person received the award, even though it pains me to say that. Garth, while a huge tour draw, lost his mojo years ago.
hoptowntiger94
July 29, 2020 @ 12:00 pm
A simple tweet would have sufficed.
Carolgirl
July 29, 2020 @ 12:16 pm
Maybe for you but not for the media or his fans. Exactly why he has been doing Ask Garth on fb live every Monday for 5 yrs. He cares about others and wanted it to be heard from him. Not twisted like everything gets today. That’s why so many love and respect him.
Angelo Rinaldi
July 29, 2020 @ 12:01 pm
Garth Gaines is at it again, quiet about what he does as always… Yeah…
Loosiana Blue
July 29, 2020 @ 12:02 pm
I didn’t see the press conference, so how many times did he cry? That’s getting as old as his ego trips.
Trigger
July 29, 2020 @ 2:06 pm
There were tears.
countryfan24
July 29, 2020 @ 12:03 pm
I appreciate what he’s trying to do here, but the ego really comes through more than anything else for me. He’s basically alluding that, had he made this decision than he probably would’ve won this award for the 8th time. And to backtrack now and finally mention the nominees when he should’ve done so when he accepted the award in November just feels so calculated. Obviously these are excepts, so you may feel like they are taken out of context, but the arrogance is unmatched. To list other potential winners in a list and then add in a note about Carrie separately is like saying, “Hey Carrie, are you happy now? You finally have a shot at winning this now.”
“You can bet that — let’s go with Keith (Urban), let’s go with Eric (Church), let’s go with Luke (Bryan), let’s go with Carrie (Underwood) — these bands and crews all deserve that feeling,” he said. “Knowing that some day down the line, they’re all gonna hold that award. Because it is the coolest nod from the industry.”
“For eight months, it has bothered me. But there is a freeing feeling about me right now when I walk out of this building that I’m going to really, really, really enjoy where we stand as a band and crew. I really love the fact that someone else is gonna get to experience that entertainer of the year nod, so that’s a wonderful thing.”
“And Carrie’s might just be a year later. It might be her year this year.”
Carolgirl
July 29, 2020 @ 12:34 pm
Really we live in a world where everyone thinks they should get rewarded. So many made a special time for him #7 a time that he couldn’t enjoy winning. Honestly to pull yourself out from this award this year and the following years I don’t know anyone else who would be that selfless. I’ve been a fan of his for 31 years I respect that he gave up him career in his prime to raise his 3 daughters to be with them every day. I enjoy that for the past 5 years every Monday he does fb live Studio G to take questions from his fans. He is a kind man and I have nothing but respect for him. Why anyone wants to make this ugly I don’t understand.
Jake Cutter
July 29, 2020 @ 12:35 pm
Whenever I hear about Garth and the CMAs in general, I’m simply reminded that there are 2 kinds of people in this world…
Derek Sullivan
July 29, 2020 @ 1:05 pm
I am big Eric Church fan and he’s had a huge year in 2019, but nowhere near as big a year as Luke Combs has had in 2019-20. With his tour and No. 1 singles, Luke has to be the winner this year.
Kevin
July 29, 2020 @ 1:10 pm
I’m glad we all see through this thinly-veiled attempt at sincerity, but it bothers me that you said people expected Carrie to win because they were celebrating women, and Eric because of all his hard work. You probably didn’t do it intentionally but you completely devalued and dismissed all the work Carrie had to do to get to the same level as these guys. She didn’t deserve EOTY because she was a woman and they were celebrating women, she deserved it because she’s the top selling woman of the last 2 decades and puts on sold out arena tours 4 or so times a week when other people just play once or twice.
Trigger
July 29, 2020 @ 2:17 pm
I didn’t say that Carrie Underwood deserved to win solely because she was a woman. What I was talking about was perceptions and expectations of the general public that led to such disappointment and a backlash when Garth Brooks won. And yes, a lot of that had to do with gender, which was a big topic at that time.
One of the journalists during the press conference asked a question along those very lines, pointing out that the backlash was less about people being angry at Garth for winning, and more about Carrie Underwood losing when it seemed like everyone felt it was her year.
Benny Lee
July 29, 2020 @ 1:27 pm
This is all so surreal… especially for someone whose EOTY for 2019 was Mike & the Moonpies…
The Original WTF Guy
July 29, 2020 @ 1:29 pm
GARTH!!! sucks. I don’t know whether him having won it 3 of the past 4 years says more about those doing the voting or how worthless the award is.
All I *do* know is that GARTH!!! is repulsive.
OneBySea
July 29, 2020 @ 1:38 pm
I get the impression that Garth is usually deep down trying to do the right thing, but he can’t help but go about it in the weirdest possible way.
Understanding that CMA awards are not the be-all-end-all of musical achievement, I still think this move to take himself out of competition cheapens the award. If Carrie wins EoY this year, you almost have to put (*Garth Brooks excluded) next to it, and the same for anyone else who wins as long as Garth is a major presence in the industry.
CeeCeeBee
July 29, 2020 @ 1:39 pm
It will be interesting to see who wins this year, considering no one can tour.
It’s long past time that the CMAs go back to considering the FULL body of work when considering this award. This year, they won’t have much of a choice.
Trigger
July 29, 2020 @ 2:21 pm
Yes, hopefully this year resets CMA voters to consider the full breath of an artist’s work for Entertainer of the Year, which among other things, will naturally allow fresh blood and more inclusivity into the process. Did Reba win in 1986 due to touring? Did Charley Pride in 1971? No. They won because they were the best entertainers those years considering a wide range of factors. Only a select few in country can launch stadium tours. If we solely base the award on touring, it will be a monopoly for those artists.
Robert's Country Blog
July 29, 2020 @ 1:55 pm
Here’s a case where I genuinely dislike every one of the hyperaggressive fan cults in this discussion (Garth,Carrie, Church), so I’ll tell them all off:
Garth has enjoyed a tremendous career, but let’s be honest, what new music has he added since his “comeback” to merit four more Entertainer awards ? When I saw his Opry show on TV,he mostly played his “pre-comeback” music, because that’s by far his best stuff. His “post-comeback” music hasn’t connected enough to merit the top awards. It takes nothing from his lifetime achievements to admit this obvious truth.
Eric Church can whine all he wants, but don’t expect me to support anyone who “fucking hates steel guitar” for any country awards. Go on and admit that you prefer “rock,” dude. You show disrespect, and you deserve disrespect.
Carrie Underwood has been given more opportunities in the last two decades than literally every other woman in country music, but even her incredibly annoying pop fan cult can’t really believe that her last album was championship material. It’s just not all that good as any sort of music, much less as country.
Benjamin
July 29, 2020 @ 9:15 pm
You can be in country music and not like a specific instrument. There’s lots of great country music that leaves out a steel guitar, banjo, fiddle, mandolin, or whatever instrument it may be. Eric Church leans heavily on rock, but I truly feel like he belongs in country music. He has lots of country themes, respect for the genre, and honest songwriting. He has just forged his own songs within the genre.
Dee Manning
July 30, 2020 @ 7:05 am
What is your issue with Carrie stans? They’re not as great as the kpop kids who use their fandom for social impact, but they have always seemed nice and polite (unlike other fandoms I could name).
country girl
July 30, 2020 @ 1:44 pm
Hahahahahhahahaha lololololo
Dee Manning
July 30, 2020 @ 2:01 pm
Well that’s a useful answer thanks ever so.
At
July 29, 2020 @ 2:00 pm
I think it’s a complete marketing ploy. Typical Garth. The CMA issued a statement saying that an artist can not remove themselves from a ballot. Therefore, Garth is being typical Garth and acting like it’s a humble move, but in reality, anyone can still vote for him. So if he wins, he doesn’t have to take the heat or comments. He can be like “well the voters have spoken.” It’s an easy way to try to clear the negative stuff that happened last year. And with voting happening now, it’ll be fresh on voter minds. Like he probably hopes they’ll think. “That Garth, he’s such a nice guy saying he doesn’t want to take it away, I’m gonna vote for him.”
JG
July 30, 2020 @ 5:23 pm
I don’t think this is some reverse psychology to win it, I really think he just doesn’t want the backlash to happen again. He’s already said what his plans are for touring the next few years if/when we can get back in the seats. It’s no different from when he won this award so he’d be in the same boat.
He tried to work with the CMA to get his name pulled, they said no, and so he announced this as publicly as possible to attempt to divert any backlash should he get nominated/win.
Kevin Mayfield
July 29, 2020 @ 2:04 pm
Maybe I misunderstand what the deal is here, but if these awards are vote-based, and he can’t actually take himself out of the running but rather has to appeal to fans to vote for someone else… doesn’t he have to publicize that request in order to make that appeal? Or at least, to make it effectively?
I know the dude is a marketing machine. He’s a guy who contrarily is both the insincere marketeer and the sincere lover of fans all rolled into one. He’s a weird cat on top of all of it. But in this case, publicizing this call and getting it out there is the only way to actually make that happen, right?
liza
July 29, 2020 @ 2:23 pm
I seem to remember that Carrie had very few shows that actually fell into the consideration period and that Garth had way more on audience counts than the others.
Jimmy
July 29, 2020 @ 4:29 pm
As I stated above, and previously, Underwood and Church fans can cry all they want, neither one of those artists were selling out stadium shows.
Lots of people thought Carrie should win because “she’s a woman, damn it!” and “she had to work hard and blah, blah, blah, sniff, sniff.” Many championed Church because “he cares about his fans, and is a real outlaw, man!” (yawn; he isn’t).
Garth won because he, like him or not, is bigger than all the rest. At any rate, he did win, and it’s time to break out the towels, dry your eyes while stroking your Carrie Underwood and Eric Church posters and move on.
Hey Arnold
July 29, 2020 @ 2:52 pm
CMA awards Predictions
Album of the Year:
Never Will
Heartache Medication
Wildcard
What You See Is What You Get
Old Dominion self titled
Hey Arnold
July 29, 2020 @ 3:00 pm
Kenny Chesney’s “Here and Now” album has a good shot too. I would place it over Old Dominion… but the CMAs usually like to nominate at least one pop outlier for this category
Sam
July 29, 2020 @ 9:19 pm
Oh please. Wildcard? Come on. Why? There are other albums. 3 good songs and the rest tripe and that qualifies it for album? Rewarding the same people over and over again is a big problem in country music. How does a newer artist, especially women, ever get that platform when it’s the same nominees every year. Especially when it’s more deserving. But I guess if you’re WME only female star your going to be nominated.
Hey Arnold
July 29, 2020 @ 2:57 pm
Collab of the Year (Tough competition)
10K Hours (D+S, Biebs)
Nobody But You (BS, Gwen)
Beer Can’t Fix (TR, JP)
Does to me (Combs, Church)
Hope You’re Happy Now (Carly + Lee)
* personally, I hope Carly Pearce and Lee Brice win. It’s the best duet this year at radio in my opinion
Dee Manning
July 29, 2020 @ 9:42 pm
Hope You’re Happy Now is actually my #2 choice, I love Carly Pearce. But if the most annoying song in history, 10,000 Hours, wins over Nobody But You (which whether you like it or not is iconic and will be around for years to come) I will be beyond pissed off…
Eduardo Vargas
July 29, 2020 @ 3:08 pm
With the way the virus is going is there even going to be a CMA Awards? Or will it be “virtual”?
DJ
July 29, 2020 @ 3:14 pm
CMA prediction: I won’t watch it and don’t care who does or doesn’t.
Hey Arnold
July 29, 2020 @ 3:22 pm
It might not mean much to youu….
But it does to me!!
Jimmy
July 29, 2020 @ 4:31 pm
I’m with you guys!
Marc
July 29, 2020 @ 4:11 pm
I love Garth Brooks….. Sincerely, Garth Brooks.
Dogit
July 29, 2020 @ 4:22 pm
Typical lame fake sincere Garth… I mean G. Look, I haven been sick of this guy for 20 years. If I was Eric or Carrie, I would be pissed. He just robbed you of the chance to beat him. F that! Now, he does not have to lose. If I was G I would have owned it too. You got to beat the king to be the king! Lame! Luke Combs could beat him outright this year!
King Honky Of Crackershire
July 29, 2020 @ 4:29 pm
So to conclude, 2019 will go down in history as the last year that a performer who has at one time or another recorded C(c)ountry music in their career, won the Entertainer of The Year award.
I despise SJW catch phrases like “Diversity and Inclusion”. I despise the intent behind them even more so.
I prefer quality and merit.
Hey Arnold
July 29, 2020 @ 6:02 pm
Here’s likely the 2nd round of nominations… 20 nominees per category. Nice to see which songs/singles are being considered
https://www.cmanomineeshowcase.com/2020/song-of-the-year/
albert
July 29, 2020 @ 6:08 pm
trigger ….your above analysis could not be more concise in ever respect .
garth and donald trump : they just can’t seem to help themselves .
wayne
July 29, 2020 @ 6:09 pm
I came here for the comments. Priceless.
Natty Bumpo
July 29, 2020 @ 7:33 pm
I’ve often wondered in real life if Garth Brooks had not developed the mastery and manipulation of his music audience what he would have gone to jail for? Ponzi scheme, drug running, investor fraud, selling broken-down jalopies, serial killer, selling toxic supplements etc…
He’s lucky with that mind he found country music because a mind like that usually leads to bad things but he was very fortunate to channel it. Make no mistake that mind and charisma usually is found in some very interesting and notorious people.
Guy Smiley
July 29, 2020 @ 8:09 pm
Actually Garth himself sort of said that, if he didnt find music, he wouldve done something bad.
Natty Bumpo
July 30, 2020 @ 4:14 am
So even he gets it. Which doesn’t surprise me really. He’s absolutely brilliant in what he’s doing. The attention is a drug and he is a an addict. It feeds his ego and it’s what drives him. Most celebrities on his level by now would have crashed and burned to some degree or something horrible would have come out on them. I don’t think that is going to happen with him as long as the attention is there for him.
But I will say too that if the attention drops off look for Garth Brooks to get really weird. Like Chris Gaines weird but even more so because he will be hunting for that attention like a madman.
Speaking of Chris Gaines, I went back a couple of weeks ago and re-watched some of that stuff that I hadn’t seen since the 90’s. I thought it was weird and cheesy back then but now seeing it once more it’s actually pretty creepy.
Brad
July 29, 2020 @ 7:50 pm
“In 1996 Garth won Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards, and in his speech he refused to accept it, believing Hootie and the Blowfish deserved it more.”
Bwahahahaha. No, Garth deserved it more. And I can’t stand Garth’s music.
Lone Wolf
July 30, 2020 @ 2:57 am
What’s all this about Garth “”selling out stadiums”? Why does playing for bigger crowds have to do with winning Entertainer of The Year?are you people saying that because he plays stadiums that he puts on a better show than people playing in arenas??? Does playing stadium somehow entitle you to be Entertainer of The Year??? No. He just plays his music for more people. Does that mean that he is a better entertainer??? Not necessarily. That’s like saying because someone outsold someone else they must be better.
I don’t care where you play. If you truly put on a great show it really doesn’t matter if you are in a stadium or in a arena.
albert
July 30, 2020 @ 7:53 am
Cirque de Soleil is ENTERTAINMENT .
Garth is just a circus .
Erikstein 69
July 30, 2020 @ 11:17 am
Lone Wolf,I so agree!some of the best most passionate,sincere shows I’ve ever seen have been in clubs,or 1,000 -2,000 capacity theater’s.i would rather be in an orchestra pit or a balcony than watch someone on a video screen from the back of an arena!!
CountryKnight
July 30, 2020 @ 9:43 am
I don’t care. The outcry over Garth winning the Award was ridiculous. He might as well be ridiculous in denying any claim to this year’s award.
The Carrie stans whining was still more embarrassing than Garth preening his feathers. Garth is, at least, country. Carrie is bombast pop.
James
July 30, 2020 @ 9:48 am
I didn’t see the press conference/interview, but did he, at any time, place his hat on his heart and profess his love for Trisha and talk reverently about Keith Whitley?
Guitars, Cadillacs...
July 30, 2020 @ 10:05 am
Well written article and a wise overall take, Trigger.
Now I’m going to pop some popcorn and watch some skulls explode in the comments. Boy, Garth really does live rent free in a lot of people’s heads…
liza
July 30, 2020 @ 12:35 pm
“What he did wrong is when he did win Entertainer in 2019, not at least acknowledging Carrie Underwood and the women of country from the podium, and accepting the award on their behalf, or shouting out Eric Church and his fans for all the work they had put in, and being ahead of this issue as opposed to behind it, which could have put some of that controversy immediately to rest.”
Poppycock.
Trigger
July 30, 2020 @ 2:52 pm
How?
Liza
July 30, 2020 @ 4:37 pm
He won the award. The voters selected him. Why should he accept it on behalf of someone else in what would be another meaningless gesture toward women (as was having only women host)? The award belonged to him and his thanks should have gone to all the people who worked hard for him. And why only call out Carrie and Eric? The classy thing for any winner would be to say they admire all the other nominees.
robbushblog
July 30, 2020 @ 1:42 pm
I don’t think Garth should have won. He hasn’t released a complete album in how many years? He performed before large crowds. So what? That’s it. Nothing else. Eric Church had an album that sold well and performed a lot of concerts. That seems more like a worthy winner to me. I don’t like either one of them, personally. Carrie, though not country enough, has been a goodwill ambassador for country music in virtually every avenue, all while still playing about 10 shows a year at the Grand Ole Opry. I thought she actually deserved the award last year. Not because she’s a woman. I don’t go in for that line of thinking.
PennCentral
July 30, 2020 @ 1:46 pm
The fact that he did this is honorable, and that’s what counts. Don’t care about the “ego” comment however, every person on this Earth has ego to varying degrees. The entertainment industry is field by passive aggressive hubris and ego😒.
Doing the right thing, is doing the right thing. It doesn’t have to be elegant.👍
albert
July 31, 2020 @ 9:38 pm
garth always does the right thing ….for garth
Sue
November 8, 2020 @ 7:29 pm
I love Carrie and Garth but if Garth is the winner then who cares how many times he’s won in the past. He is good and deserves it! Let me add, I love Carrie too she’s good, they both are excellent at what they do.
Mike
November 12, 2020 @ 9:58 am
“I am recusing myself from the Entertainer of the Year nomination, not now but forever” (yes, I know that wasn’t the exact quote, but still the premise) is basically Garth Brooks’s way of saying “I know I would win it this year anyways, simply because I am Garth Brooks. But I am just going to sit this one out so the winner can live with the knowledge that he or she won simply because I wasn’t there.” And his declaration that he will pull himself out of the running for future EoTY considerations? Come on, Garth, we know that’s a load of bullshit so large it could fertilize the Sahara Desert!
I stopped taking anything Garth Vader says seriously over two decades ago. Then again, he has enough Kool-Aid drinkers in the listening public that will keep him relevant regardless of how many people see through his line of crap.