News Article: Friesen on Sawyer and the hazing incident

[JetsUK]

Looks like Kevin Sawyer may be held to account for those bizarre remarks during broadcast. Then again, perhaps not:

Hockey culture is changing, we’re told. Instances of abuse or bullying by coaches are to be reported and addressed, not swept under the rug.Hazing incidents, once commonplace, are no longer tolerated. We take them seriously now, as abuses of authority.

What to make, then, of TSN Jets television analyst Kevin Sawyer’s tone-deaf comments during a recent broadcast, and the silence that’s ensued?

Jets broadcaster’s comments tone-deaf and ‘sickening to hear’

Click to read more...

 

[han316]

I don't see anything wrong with this.

Even in the article it states it as so.

"Hazing incidents, once commonplace, are no longer tolerated. We take them seriously now, as abuses of authority."

Just a reporter trying to make up a story. Trying to tie it to another story on racism is pretty low though.

 

[FonRiesen]

I don't think it's okay for a group to bind/immobilize someone - it takes away their agency, feeling trapped and powerless. There is a symbol here that even the participants may not consciously understand, but the message is still real. This particular incident isn't as physically or sexually harmful as some hazings are, but psychological abuse is still not okay. Some of my friends went through worse - they told me they wished they had quit playing when I did. It's a cancer in the sport, and I hope it's improving over time due to the bravery & openness of those that stand up against it.

As far as Sawyer goes, by actually thinking this stuff is funny & a cool story to tell shows that he doesn't understand the situation and is part of the culture that needs to grow up. He's clearly trying to be entertaining and expects all of us to laugh along, but some of us have empathy for those who are picked on. He's not a 'bad' guy, he just obviously hasn't considered these types of things from the victim's point of view and is normalizing the story as if this is okay through his tone and attitude.

 

[PaulPooley]

Bottom line: Sawyer is an untalented d*****

 

[Gm0ney]

I don't see anything wrong with this.

Even in the article it states it as so.

"Hazing incidents, once commonplace, are no longer tolerated. We take them seriously now, as abuses of authority."

Just a reporter trying to make up a story. Trying to tie it to another story on racism is pretty low though.

It was a different time - but attitudes have changed dramatically. Sawyer should have known better than to relate that particular tale. But like Nature, Sawyer abhors a vacuum - so any time Beyak stops talking, he's right there vomiting out some nonsense or other. I mean, I suppose that's part of the color commentator's job, but if you don't have anything sensible to say, then maybe keep your trap shut for a few seconds - oh wait, I think I see the problem here...

 

[Afterburner]

It was disgusting how fondly he talked about it during the broadcast. It was not cool at all.

 

[jefferoni]

Buh-bye Sawyer, don't let the broadcast booth door hit you in the ass on your way out...

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Hazing can be 'just good clean fun'. But if the victim isn't laughing along with the perpetrators, it has already gone too far. Unfortunately the mentality of it requires always going a bit further, outdoing what was done last time. That makes going too far inevitable. So the only solution is to prohibit the practice entirely and to clamp down hard on it.

 

[Calendal]

I don't think it's okay for a group to bind/immobilize someone - it takes away their agency, feeling trapped and powerless. There is a symbol here that even the participants may not consciously understand, but the message is still real. This particular incident isn't as physically or sexually harmful as some hazings are, but psychological abuse is still not okay. Some of my friends went through worse - they told me they wished they had quit playing when I did. It's a cancer in the sport, and I hope it's improving over time due to the bravery & openness of those that stand up against it.

As far as Sawyer goes, by actually thinking this stuff is funny & a cool story to tell shows that he doesn't understand the situation and is part of the culture that needs to grow up. He's clearly trying to be entertaining and expects all of us to laugh along, but some of us have empathy for those who are picked on. He's not a 'bad' guy, he just obviously hasn't considered these types of things from the victim's point of view and is normalizing the story as if this is okay through his tone and attitude.

A great post that I feel sums up things well. Thank you!

 

[AlphaLackey]

Hazing can be 'just good clean fun'. But if the victim isn't laughing along with the perpetrators, it has already gone too far. Unfortunately the mentality of it requires always going a bit further, outdoing what was done last time. That makes going too far inevitable. So the only solution is to prohibit the practice entirely and to clamp down hard on it.

The profitability of the "Jackass" genre of media shows us that it IS INDEED POSSIBLE for someone to consensually admit to what would objectively be called self-humiliation in the name of levity. The big problem is that if someone doesn't feel comfortable for doing it in a "tight-knit" setting, then of course the risk of ostracization is sky-high. In fact, even by making the other person start to fear ostracization, you've likely done harm even if you don't harass them for declining in any way.

And agree with the numerous other posters who mentioned that it was Sawyer's attitude that was the huge problem. We know there was much worse hazing back then. It's his Archie Bunker-esque "Ahhhh dose wuh da days" tone that flat-out knocked my jaw to the floor.

 

[blues10]

I don't think it's okay for a group to bind/immobilize someone - it takes away their agency, feeling trapped and powerless. There is a symbol here that even the participants may not consciously understand, but the message is still real. This particular incident isn't as physically or sexually harmful as some hazings are, but psychological abuse is still not okay. Some of my friends went through worse - they told me they wished they had quit playing when I did. It's a cancer in the sport, and I hope it's improving over time due to the bravery & openness of those that stand up against it.

As far as Sawyer goes, by actually thinking this stuff is funny & a cool story to tell shows that he doesn't understand the situation and is part of the culture that needs to grow up. He's clearly trying to be entertaining and expects all of us to laugh along, but some of us have empathy for those who are picked on. He's not a 'bad' guy, he just obviously hasn't considered these types of things from the victim's point of view and is normalizing the story as if this is okay through his tone and attitude.

Kids and young hockey players are also impressionable and TV viewers. I don't expect to be watching a Jets game with my kids and hear a story of saran wrapping a 15 year old kid and laughing that when he was all wrapped up he looked 12. It's 2020. This isn't funny. This is what the game is trying to get rid of not promote to a couple hundred thousand viewers.

It likely happened during the 2005/6 season the same season the Akim Aliu incident took place and Windsor Spitfires head coach and former Jet Moe Mantha was suspended 40 games.

Sure its 15 years ago but even dating back to the year 2000 seems to contravene the CHA policy on hazing. Although the policy did seem lax.

From a 2000 article in Macleans.

The Canadian Hockey Association, which governs amateur hockey, has a regulation against condoning or participating in hazing with a penalty of a one-year suspension. But even that is negotiable: the rule states that if the suspension causes “undue hardship” to the team, a lesser penalty can be imposed with the approval of CHA officers.

THE HELL OF HAZING | Maclean's | March 6, 2000

As a person of responsibility in 2005 Sawyer should have stopped the incident. The fact that its 15 years later and he still thinks its funny and talks about in on platform he has been given on TSN TV is terrible.

He appears to clearly have violated the policy in place by the CHA in 2000.

Information on the CHA from 2002

The Canadian Hockey Association is the sole governing body for amateur hockey in Canada. Canadian Hockey Association oversees the management of hockey programming in Canada from the entry level of the game to participation at international competitions, including World Championships for both men and women, World Junior Championship, World Under 18's, the World Cup of Hockey and Olympic Winter Games for both the men's and women's teams. 4.5 million Canadians are involved in hockey in Canada as coaches, players, officials, administrators or direct volunteers, with more than 1.5 million games and 2 million practices held every year in Canada, in over 3,000 arenas across the country. Canadian Hockey Association operates national programming in cooperation with 13 Branch Associations and a membership base of 560,000 registered male and female players, 80,000 coaches and 30,000 officials

TSN/RDS Reach Five-Year Broadcast Deal With CHA

I'm sorry, there is no place in the game for this and Sawyer should have known it when it happened as it was CHA policy.

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council does have a complaints form in place for such incidents IF they warrant it.

Make a Complaint ·

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

The profitability of the "Jackass" genre of media shows us that it IS INDEED POSSIBLE for someone to consensually admit to what would objectively be called self-humiliation in the name of levity. The big problem is that if someone doesn't feel comfortable for doing it in a "tight-knit" setting, then of course the risk of ostracization is sky-high. In fact, even by making the other person start to fear ostracization, you've likely done harm even if you don't harass them for declining in any way.

And agree with the numerous other posters who mentioned that it was Sawyer's attitude that was the huge problem. We know there was much worse hazing back then. It's his Archie Bunker-esque "Ahhhh dose wuh da days" tone that flat-out knocked my jaw to the floor.

He clearly had not absorbed the message. It wasn't so very long ago that it was entirely acceptable to tell those kinds of humourous stories. But times have changed, for the better in this case.

 

[cbcwpg]

Not surprised by all the no comments..

TSN and Sawyer just want it to go away. Sawyer I can understand , he wants to keep a job, but TSN? There has to be a 100 guys TSN could replace Sawyer with. Come out and say you don’t like what your analyst said, fire him, and replace him. Seriously no loss from the on air product side of things. And it says the right message.

the player involved doesn’t want to talk about it. No surprise there. It’s embarrassing and most people just don’t want to talk about what happened to them when it’s something like this.

 

[blues10]

Not surprised by all the no comments..

TSN and Sawyer just want it to go away. Sawyer I can understand , he wants to keep a job, but TSN? There has to be a 100 guys TSN could replace Sawyer with. Come out and say you don’t like what your analyst said, fire him, and replace him. Seriously no loss from the on air product side of things. And it says the right message.

the player involved doesn’t want to talk about it. No surprise there. It’s embarrassing and most people just don’t want to talk about what happened to them when it’s something like this.

Considering the clear link between TSN and the Jets it is a bit surprising the Winnipeg Jets and TNSE would want Sawyer on the air and linked to a product that they are selling. Even the image of the NHL associated with such comments.

It could also be a human resources matter which is being dealt with at TSN. It was mentioned in another thread that Sawyer had been scheduled to do the Preds game the other day.

 

[AKAChip]

This whole situation is extremely unfortunate but if it rids us of Sawyer forever, at least some good came of it.

 

[Channelcat]

Sawyer is not in a position of authority. He is a color commentator. Dismissing him on account of this? Asinine and short sighted.

 

[imec]

Whether it was "acceptable" at one time is irrelevant. It's inappropriate to make light of it now.

 

[AlphaLackey]

He clearly had not absorbed the message. It wasn't so very long ago that it was entirely acceptable to tell those kinds of humourous stories. But times have changed, for the better in this case.

I couldn't agree more on all points. Tales like Sawyers should be like those old Bugs Bunny cartoons.. YOU KNOW the kind I mean. The kind where pretending it didn't happen would be even worse than talking about it as it did.

 

[cbcwpg]

Sawyer is not in a position of authority. He is a color commentator. Dismissing him on account of this? Asinine and short sighted.

to be fair, from what I’ve read online, it’s not what he did in the past that people want him gone for... its thinking it’s funny and something appropriate to joke about on TV.

 

[AlphaLackey]

Sawyer is not in a position of authority. He is a color commentator. Dismissing him on account of this? Asinine and short sighted.

He absolutely WAS in a position of authority that the decade old accusation happened. And as we've established by precedent, that's still recent enough to destroy a career.

If you don't? Well, Jarret Spurgeon is a white male who is by all accounts 100% non-diverse in every other demographic category. You want to chum the waters in the "I TOLD you it's 'no bad tactics, only bad targets'!" pool? Cause that's how chum those waters.

The NHL has made clear what the rules are. Apply them consistently or get ready for shit to get worse before it gets better.

 

[AlphaLackey]

to be fair, from what I’ve read online, it’s not what he did in the past that people want him gone for... its thinking it’s funny and something appropriate to joke about on TV.

So just like Peters, he did something shitty as a coach a decade ago. Unlike Peters, once the story leaked he remained completely unreticent and even glib about it? That looks worse. And bear in mind I'm not advocating for the story to be seen by those optics that I mentioned, but as sure as shit gonna guarantee that's how it's gonna look if you let Sawyer slide.

 

[Channelcat]

to be fair, from what I’ve read online, it’s not what he did in the past that people want him gone for... its thinking it’s funny and something appropriate to joke about on TV.

It doesn't sit well with me. And to be clear, I don't think Sawyer is a good color guy or hockey analyst, and it was only a matter of time before he said something REALLY stupid. Still, the people who pursue these things are willfully doing more harm than good imho.

 

[AKAChip]

It doesn't sit well with me. And to be clear, I don't think Sawyer is a good color guy or hockey analyst, and it was only a matter of time before he said something REALLY stupid. Still, the people who pursue these things are willfully doing more harm than good imho.

I’m not saying that in this climate things can’t occasionally go to far but I would imagine you’d be singing a different tune if you or someone you cared about had been a victim of hazing.

 

[Keystone]

I don’t think Sawyer should be crucified for this particular incident (yet), when for all we know, Spurgeon could have been completely ok with it. Maybe even encouraged it. Some guys like to do anything for a laugh. I do realize that isn’t likely the case mind you.
The bragging about it on TV... just stupid. I know I shook my head.

 

[nobody imp0rtant]

It would be a gross injustice if Sawyer lost his job over this one comment when he should be losing his job for being an annoyingly shitty analyst.