nfl Bocephus is back

[ckf]

ESPN is bringing Hank Williams Jr. -- and all his rowdy friends -- back into the Monday Night Football fold, six years after the sports network parted ways with the brash country rocker following controversial remarks involving then-President Barack Obama. 

Williams' new version of “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night," with his trademark opening: "Are you ready for some football?" will debut before a Sept. 11 game between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings.

“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.”

The music video, which will air during ESPN’s Monday Night Football each game week of the 2017 NFL season, was filmed in Nashville Sunday and includes two additional contemporary music artists to freshen the song's presentation. The new acts will be named later this week and each artist will be featured in every Monday Night Football opening, the song lyrics being changed each game to reflect the competing football teams. 

For Williams, returning to ESPN is an unexpected homecoming.

“I never said, ‘Are you ready for some football’ on stage one time the last five or six years, but I will now,” said the singer, seated in his dressing room during a break in filming the commercial. “I’m feeling at home and it’s a real good thing ... It’s kind of like the Nashville Predators playing for the Stanley Cup, it’s like ‘Wow.’”

Williams first performed the song, based on his hit “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight” during the 20th anniversary season of Monday Night Football in 1989. 

ESPN dropped Williams from the program in 2011, following remarks Williams made after a golf outing between Obama and then-Republican House Speaker John Boehner.

Williams described the outing, famously dubbed "the golf summit" as "one of the biggest political mistakes ever."

As Williams then put it on Fox News' Fox & Friends: "It would be like Hitler playing golf with (Israeli leader) Benjamin Netanyahu." When asked on Fox to explain his analogy, Williams said Obama and Vice President Biden are "the enemy."

Williams later responded to criticism over the remarks, saying he was "simply trying to show how stupid it seemed to me -- how ludicrous that pairing was." 

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."

ESPN's move to renew its relationship with Williams comes amid a tumultuous period at the network. 

Several high-profile on-air personalities, including Trent Dilfer, Jayson Stark and Ed Werder were among those laid off from the network in a round of April cuts that reportedly numbered nearly 100. 

Bringing back Williams may be one way that the network is trying to get back its mojo as the "Worldwide Leader in Sports." 

"In listening to the recent cuts that I’ve gotten, it’s phenomenal," Druley said of the new version of the song. "It just immediately gets you psyched for the game you’re going to watch and for football fans, that’s a big deal. I think people will be really, really excited about it."

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.”

http://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/06/05/espn-bringing-hank-williams-jr-back-monday-night-football/369018001/

[Zambroski]

I personally like the old school MNF theme lead in....However, Hank's started to grow on me.  

So good!  This PC gone too far shit is starting to get corrected.  Just. It to the delight of many.

 

[Highmark]

Maybe ESPN will smarten up some more.  They've lost a lot of viewers/listeners over the past few years.  

Edited June 5, 2017 by Highmark

[Angry ginger]

37 minutes ago, Highmark said:

Maybe ESPN will smarten up some more.  They've lost a lot of viewers/listeners over the past few years.  

not sure that anything can really change things for the better.  For all the complaints of things changed and turned off the fans the reality is todays every fan wants something different.  Old school fans want it back like it used to be (which is part fo the reason this change was made) while new fans DGAF about that.   In a changing world sports is less and less important to lots of people and all the time and cost of trying to make it a more immersive experience really doesn't seem to help. At some point financially the sports entertainment foundation is going to crumble.  While ESPN has gotten worse IMO and their layoffs took out some good people reality is viewership is down and costs are up and with viewers not willing to pay more and in many cases cutting the cord and not providing any revenue to the system none of them win. Sports used to mint everyone money but at some point the players, teams, leagues, networks, cable providers are all going to have to realize they are going to have to take less.  

 

 

 

 

 

[ckf]

4 minutes ago, Angry ginger said:

not sure that anything can really change things for the better.  For all the complaints of things changed and turned off the fans the reality is todays every fan wants something different.  Old school fans want it back like it used to be (which is part fo the reason this change was made) while new fans DGAF about that.   In a changing world sports is less and less important to lots of people and all the time and cost of trying to make it a more immersive experience really doesn't seem to help. At some point financially the sports entertainment foundation is going to crumble.  While ESPN has gotten worse IMO and their layoffs took out some good people reality is viewership is down and costs are up and with viewers not willing to pay more and in many cases cutting the cord and not providing any revenue to the system none of them win. Sports used to mint everyone money but at some point the players, teams, leagues, networks, cable providers are all going to have to realize they are going to have to take less. 

[Zambroski]

18 minutes ago, Angry ginger said:

not sure that anything can really change things for the better.  For all the complaints of things changed and turned off the fans the reality is todays every fan wants something different.  Old school fans want it back like it used to be (which is part fo the reason this change was made) while new fans DGAF about that.   In a changing world sports is less and less important to lots of people and all the time and cost of trying to make it a more immersive experience really doesn't seem to help. At some point financially the sports entertainment foundation is going to crumble.  While ESPN has gotten worse IMO and their layoffs took out some good people reality is viewership is down and costs are up and with viewers not willing to pay more and in many cases cutting the cord and not providing any revenue to the system none of them win. Sports used to mint everyone money but at some point the players, teams, leagues, networks, cable providers are all going to have to realize they are going to have to take less.  

 

 

 

 

 

Ofda!  Nice post.  Personally the NFL and its pagentry along with their desire to think their players should have a political voice during the broadcast has made me less and less interested over the years.

[T1R9sledder]

26 minutes ago, Angry ginger said:

not sure that anything can really change things for the better.  For all the complaints of things changed and turned off the fans the reality is todays every fan wants something different.  Old school fans want it back like it used to be (which is part fo the reason this change was made) while new fans DGAF about that.   In a changing world sports is less and less important to lots of people and all the time and cost of trying to make it a more immersive experience really doesn't seem to help. At some point financially the sports entertainment foundation is going to crumble.  While ESPN has gotten worse IMO and their layoffs took out some good people reality is viewership is down and costs are up and with viewers not willing to pay more and in many cases cutting the cord and not providing any revenue to the system none of them win. Sports used to mint everyone money but at some point the players, teams, leagues, networks, cable providers are all going to have to realize they are going to have to take less.  

 

 

 

 

 

Good post AG....I used to be glued to ESPN for years. As they got more political they lost me as a viewer. These days it's NESN, NFL & MLB Networks. ESPN needs to go back it's roots.....Australian Rules Football and repeats of Notre Dame football greatest games highlights!

[Angry ginger]

9 minutes ago, Zambroski said:

Ofda!  Nice post.  Personally the NFL and its pagentry along with their desire to think their players should have a political voice during the broadcast has made me less and less interested over the years.

I think players will learn from Kaepernicks being shunned to stick to doing what they do well and NFL seems to be sick of being called the no fun league. i think todays viewer has a short attention span whether that is someone at 20 or 50 which is the real reason we have become less interested.  Hell at this point i'd rather do yard work than watch a baseball game and i hate yard work.  

I believe the best run and most watchable sport right now is college basketball.  The best games are on at the best times to grab viewers and the way they run the tourney gives something greater to the fan than any other league.  Helps them to not have to pay players,  makes it a money grab for the high major schools the coaches the NCAA and the networks.  

[Highmark]

44 minutes ago, Angry ginger said:

not sure that anything can really change things for the better.  For all the complaints of things changed and turned off the fans the reality is todays every fan wants something different.  Old school fans want it back like it used to be (which is part fo the reason this change was made) while new fans DGAF about that.   In a changing world sports is less and less important to lots of people and all the time and cost of trying to make it a more immersive experience really doesn't seem to help. At some point financially the sports entertainment foundation is going to crumble.  While ESPN has gotten worse IMO and their layoffs took out some good people reality is viewership is down and costs are up and with viewers not willing to pay more and in many cases cutting the cord and not providing any revenue to the system none of them win. Sports used to mint everyone money but at some point the players, teams, leagues, networks, cable providers are all going to have to realize they are going to have to take less.  

 

 

 

 

 

Keep the politics to a minimum and they would be ok.  We all know that ain't gonna happen. 

[Jimmy Snacks]

3 hours ago, Angry ginger said:

I think players will learn from Kaepernicks being shunned to stick to doing what they do well and NFL seems to be sick of being called the no fun league. i think todays viewer has a short attention span whether that is someone at 20 or 50 which is the real reason we have become less interested.  Hell at this point i'd rather do yard work than watch a baseball game and i hate yard work.  

I believe the best run and most watchable sport right now is college basketball.  The best games are on at the best times to grab viewers and the way they run the tourney gives something greater to the fan than any other league.  Helps them to not have to pay players,  makes it a money grab for the high major schools the coaches the NCAA and the networks.  

I just heard the new narrative from Bomani Jones on ESPN Radio....he is wondering why/how Bocephus is back in The NFL but Kapernick can't find a job. This race narrative is only going to gain steam.

[Zambroski]

41 minutes ago, Biggie Smails said:

I just heard the new narrative from Bomani Jones on ESPN Radio....he is wondering why/how Bocephus is back in The NFL but Kapernick can't find a job. This race narrative is only going to gain steam.

That's another reason why I've been losing interest.  Enough already with the bullshit....take your millions and go catch a fucking ball!!!!!

God I love hockey.

[Angry ginger]

59 minutes ago, Biggie Smails said:

I just heard the new narrative from Bomani Jones on ESPN Radio....he is wondering why/how Bocephus is back in The NFL but Kapernick can't find a job. This race narrative is only going to gain steam.

kapernick can't find a job because he wasn't very good and had baggage,  dumb ass for letting his bitch brainwash him into fucking up his career after a down year.  Brady could take a shit on the field and nothing more would be said.  

[xtralettucetomatoe580]

6 minutes ago, Angry ginger said:

kapernick can't find a job because he wasn't very good and had baggage,  dumb ass for letting his bitch brainwash him into fucking up his career after a down year.  Brady could take a shit on the field and nothing more would be said.  

Yep. Poor guy falls right into the its your fault not mine category. 

[Jimmy Snacks]

8 minutes ago, Angry ginger said:

kapernick can't find a job because he wasn't very good and had baggage,  dumb ass for letting his bitch brainwash him into fucking up his career after a down year.  Brady could take a shit on the field and nothing more would be said.  

 

1 minute ago, xtralettucetomatoe580 said:

Yep. Poor guy falls right into the its your fault not mine category. 

I agree but you can see the way this is headed.

[Zambroski]

That Kapernickel thread was epic. I wonder if we went back and read it, which members called it right.  I can tell you a list that didn't.

 

[xtralettucetomatoe580]

Just now, Biggie Smails said:

 

I agree but you can see the way this is headed.

Absolutely. It sells to the non-sports fans who love to see sports get taken down a peg. 

[ckf]

6 minutes ago, Zambroski said:

That Kapernickel thread was epic. I wonder if we went back and read it, which members called it right.  I can tell you a list that didn't.

 

That reminded me of our google ranking for that thread. I just searched it again, we fallen to the second page now  

 

[Zambroski]

Good times don't last.  Neither do good women.

[ckf]

[Sal Rosenberg]

15 minutes ago, xtralettucetomatoe580 said:

Yep. Poor guy falls right into the its your fault not mine category. 

 

No , he fell into a black hole with fur around it and now can't think with the right head . Plus he's a retard .

[Cold War]

Hank Jr . Concerts are a blast.  Seen him 1/2 dozen times. Everyone there is there to party.