Sportsnet Don Cherry, a Hockey Institution in Canada, Is Fired After Divisive Comments

[Little Fury]

But did he get fired, and not bye the media ,Andrew Scheer took more slack for having duel citizenship.

Even if you don't consider the Trudeau at least issued an apology, there's more complexities at work here that make the comparison to Cherry's situation untenable.

 

[Fenway]

 

[Fenway]

who is Jimmy the Greek?

Jimmy the Greek was a well known bookmaker who became part of the NFL on CBS

At a breakfast honoring Dr. Martin Luther King he said



Career over



A year earlier the Dodgers GM saw his long career go up in smoke on live TV

 

[Chan790]

who is Jimmy the Greek?

Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder was an NFL football commentator for CBS in the 1990s who made racist and xenophobic comments on MLK day and was fired for them.

His shtick had been wearing thin with the NFL for a while and when the opportunity presented itself (the comments in question), they denounced them and quietly let it be known that anybody hiring him could count on being shut-out by the NFL: no broadcast rights, no media clips for affiliates, no media passes...anybody hiring Jimmy was dead to the NFL.

He sued them and lost.

 

[BRUINS since 1995]

I didn’t agree on Cherry comments but i think this is not the first time. He did say stuff in the past that brought controversy and especially on French Canadian and European .. which never brought this kind of reaction from broadcast and Canadian’s fellow.
Dom’t understand why this time and not before!

 

[BRUINS since 1995]

I dont have a huge problem with whatever racist stuff he said over the years {and there was way more than just this}

maybe i should be more upset about it... but im not. he was a lone voice at times in a sea of political correctness and even outright reverse racism. he was a defender of traditional values in our country that I personally find important to maintain.

it wasnt like he was ever calling for arms against anyone... he was just telling people with outsider views to get with the program... leave their views at the door when entering what we have here that is special to us...

that said... and I do think we should have open doors and welcome people from underpriveledged areas or where they live in danger... we do have a great thing here and it would be selfish not to share... that said... I just didnt find cherry interesting for many years now... as far as his views on hockey go

im left feeling like I wish he had retired 15 years ago when he was pretty much a god... if he had retired and only spoken out on the truely important issues the past 15 years I feel he could still be a real voice of power in this country

instead he became a joke... my local morning show here in Edmonton uses his sound bites as laughter folder when they are trying to make fun. sadly I cant remember a single time in the past 15 years where I thought 'I cant wait to see what don cherry has to say about this tonight or that tonight'

I dont really feel he has effectively spoken about politics in many years either. I tend to have the same politics he has so I dont often disagree with what he says... I just dont feel he says it effectively.

and all that said... I still dont for one minute believe he was fired for his political comments. sure, thats the convienent excuse... but sports net has fired or let go all their long serving experienced opinionated expensive hockey people this year. theres a clear cut cost cutting going on. im sure they were just itching to get rid of cherry for some time now. he was a tricky guy to fire thanks to his being an institution that was bigger than the show... so jumping on this excuse of racism was a godsend to the company.

I may not have been a huge fan of people like bob mccown, and nick kyprisov, and now the last few years of don cherry... but sports net is effectively shedding a truck load of salary getting rid of these people and replacing them with interchangeable faces we couldnt and wouldnt ever care about.

I was such a huge fan of the network and most the stuff it was doing a couple years ago... and now today, I barely bring myself to turning it on more than half an hour each day.

don cherry should have left on his own terms long ago... I dont think what he did this week was any worst than I saw him do 100 times before... im sad to see him go in this manner, but I wont miss him from what he has become. I already missed him from what he was

My thoughts also... why now and not before. Why is everyone now complaining snd not before...

 

[Little Fury]

If many aren’t wearing one they should be.

Would you say that wearing a poppy is the correct thing to do, politically speaking?

 

[Fenway]

Entire interview

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/video?playlistId=1.4682327​

Don Cherry says he's sorry if he hurt anyone but believes 'silent majority' agrees with him

 

[LSCII]

At the same time...

I went to Charleston a couple years ago and did a tour of Fort Sumter. Pretty historic event. At the gift shop I bought a tshirt that on the back of it has a 2 soldiers face to face, one carrying the USA flag and the other the CSA flag. I had someone in public accuse me of wearing a white nationalist shirt.

I mean, the Civil War did happen, and there were 2 sides involved and each had a flag. There's a point where people go from actually being offended to pretending to be IMO.

Yeah, hard to see it as being motivated through hate in your scenario, Doc...

I'm not against revisiting history and the parties involved either, but as history is generally written by the winning side, I did find the southern states putting up statues after the war to commemorate what were ultimately traitors to the United State of America to be very distasteful. And I had no issues with people wanting them torn down a few years ago. You want a statue to commemorate the Civil War, Georgia? I'll personally carve you one of General Grant because he won. Just let me know where to ship it...

 

[danpantz]

I didn’t agree on Cherry comments but i think this is not the first time. He did say stuff in the past that brought controversy and especially on French Canadian and European .. which never brought this kind of reaction from broadcast and Canadian’s fellow.
Dom’t understand why this time and not before!

You could argue he was at least talking about hockey during his previous incidents. Not this time.

 

[easton117]

My thoughts also... why now and not before. Why is everyone now complaining snd not before...

If I were a betting fellow, I’d say it has something to do with their new audience targeting.

They already have you and I. Who gives a damn what we think?

 

[Dicky113]

My thoughts also... why now and not before. Why is everyone now complaining snd not before...

People complained before.
But we are now post “me too” movement in a “cancel culture” and it seems these things aren’t acceptable like they once were. It’s actually a remarkable shift in society over the past what, 5 years?

 

[BigGoalBrad]

I didn’t agree on Cherry comments but i think this is not the first time. He did say stuff in the past that brought controversy and especially on French Canadian and European .. which never brought this kind of reaction from broadcast and Canadian’s fellow.
Dom’t understand why this time and not before!

It’s probably wrong to laugh and joke about this but his dislike of Quebecois and Russians was a huge part of his shtick and what made him beloved. Live by the sword die by the sword.

I still like the guy but I don’t subscribe to the 2019 mandate that casual bigotry for lack of a better term is as bad as murder and pedophilia and everyone who says something un PC is evil.

But again a fake apology saves his job.

 

[Kate08]

I just wanted to take a second to thank the mods for letting this conversation continue. I know this is borderline and not something that would typically be allowed, but I appreciate having the opportunity to read takes from people I generally respect and feel like I know from posting here for years.

Im sure there has been a lot cleaned up but props to posters too for being respectful during the co versatile. I think it’s important to have an outlet to discuss.

 

[Lobster57]

I just wanted to take a second to thank the mods for letting this conversation continue. I know this is borderline and not something that would typically be allowed, but I appreciate having the opportunity to read takes from people I generally respect and feel like I know from posting here for years.

Im sure there has been a lot cleaned up but props to posters too for being respectful during the co versatile. I think it’s important to have an outlet to discuss.

100% agree. I've had to self-censor a number of times in this thread because i realize it's definitely toeing the line and I really don't want to be the jackass that gets it shut down. It has definitely been revealing though.

Props to everyone with all outlooks for keeping things pretty darned civil

 

[PB37]

I don't have an issue with Cherry's comments about being patriotic.

I do think using a hockey related broadcast is the wrong venue to show off your belief system, but I don't find anything wrong or inflammatory with what he said.

 

[HustleB]

That's where I get stuck. Is it possible one can have an opinion of what one should do and not hate an entire race/group of people?

I hear people saying immigrants that come to the USA should take the time and learn the language. Are they all racist?

Again, Don's job is not to make that kind of commentary on his bit, so I get it, and he lost his job, but does that make him a racist?

I once saw a guy at McDonald’s ask people to speak English it was ugly and divisive. I don’t know if it’s racist to want it, but it seems it becomes racist very fast when a person presses for that desire in any way other than offering to teach English to immigrants.

 

[TheReal13Linseman]

Don was a guest on Tucker Carlson tonight. (Said Bobby Orr’s a big Tucker fan, btw) Said he probably should’ve said “everybody” rather than “you people”.

This is country vs city. Loss for Canada.

If Canada doesn’t want him, give him to us.

 

[Puckstuff]

Don was a guest on Tucker Carlson tonight. (Said Bobby Orr’s a big Tucker fan, btw) Said he probably should’ve said “everybody” rather than “you people”.

This is country vs city. Loss for Canada.

If Canada doesn’t want him, give him to us.

A lot of us want him, we are just in the minority now. It’s really hard to not talk about this scenario without it being political because it is a political scenario.

People of Anglo Saxon or European descent who lean more conservative or center like Cherry a lot With a small percentage of new comers embracing him. Those who are new to Canada tend to vote left wing by more then 2/3 so his values and style might be a turn off for the vast majority of new comers, which is fine.

His comments should have been framed better, as they should have been positioned in a more positive manner, but it still sucks to lose someone so iconic who we enjoyed watching even with his faults. Most opinionated people have faults, don’t we all?

 

[BRUINS since 1995]

If I were a betting fellow, I’d say it has something to do with their new audience targeting.

They already have you and I. Who gives a damn what we think?

I think it has more with word liberty ( liberté d’expression).
While i respect a corporative decision, i dislike the fact that we shut down people which is a fundamental in our society.
That is what i dislike about the Cherry fired even though Cherry was historically tough and hard especially on European ( especially Russian) and Quebecers.

I am having some problem with what is going on. I will stay at this... but this is now a problem in my pov, explaining why now he was fired and not before!

 

[Fenway]

​

 

[dafoomie]

Did Don Cherry ever blow a 4 goal lead in the 3rd period?

 

[Johnny4778]

People complained before.
But we are now post “me too” movement in a “cancel culture” and it seems these things aren’t acceptable like they once were. It’s actually a remarkable shift in society over the past what, 5 years?

Yet it’s Ok for the prime minister to have pictures and videos of him wearing black face? Or President Trump to say the things he says. Amazing that some can get away with anything and others get tossed a side and lose there careers and reputation. I personally don’t think Cherry was that offside. He always gets political during Remembrance Day has from the beginning of time. He wants to ensure that we always honor those who died for the rights and freedom we have in Canada. Sure maybe it came out a little wrong, but the truth is that we all take for granted the blood and sacrifice that was made for the simple things we have the right to do... such as freedom of speech. I know someone whose father was sentence to death at 12 for holding a sign when Batista was speaking in Cuba... he escaped to the US and fortunately survived but let’s not take for granted our basic freedoms that our dads, grandfathers and great grandfathers and all those that never came home fought for. We are the lucky few in this chaotic world and new immigrant or 5th generation Canadian we need to be thankful for their sacrifice. Even in the US there is not a day that goes by where I don’t hear someone thanking a veteran for their service. Very rarely did I see this in my normal day to day routine in Canada. The truth is many Canadians have forgotten. There is no Canadian more proud to be Canadian than Don Cherry and it is a shame that he couldn’t go out on his own terms. I hope Don is ok and knows most of Canada has his back.

 

[Braunbaer]

Well, we're living in a world in which it seems that offending people with words is worse than raping or killing them.

 

[BruinDust]

A lot of us want him, we are just in the minority now. It’s really hard to not talk about this scenario without it being political because it is a political scenario.

People of Anglo Saxon or European descent who lean more conservative or center like Cherry a lot With a small percentage of new comers embracing him. Those who are new to Canada tend to vote left wing by more then 2/3 so his values and style might be a turn off for the vast majority of new comers, which is fine.

His comments should have been framed better, as they should have been positioned in a more positive manner, but it still sucks to lose someone so iconic who we enjoyed watching even with his faults. Most opinionated people have faults, don’t we all?

People need to stop framing this as Right-wing supporters = Cherry supporters and Left-wing supporters = Anti-Cherry.