Lyons Fired for “Insensitive” Comments
I’m trying to make sense of Steve Lyons’ firing by FOX “after making what the network considered racially insensitive comments Friday” and there are only two explanations I can come up with:
- FOX was looking for an excuse to dump Lyons.
- FOX has no freakin’ clue.
I hate to defend a guy like Lyons, whose style of “analysis” calls to mind fingernails on a chalkboard, but it bothers me to see his name associated with a pretty serious accusation over some remarkably benign remarks. Lyons, in case you missed it, poked a little good-natured fun at his friend and colleague, Lou Piniella, and FOX took offense (although interestingly, Piniella did not). According to a FOX spokesperson, Lyons was let go for “making comments on air that the company found inappropriate.”
There are enough reasons for dismissing Lyons as analyst (e.g., his voice grates, he adds little value to the experience) that you shouldn’t need to concoct something to make it happen. The trouble with using “racial insensitivity” as the reason for firing him is twofold:
- It’s inaccurate and it unnecessarily besmirches Lyons’ otherwise good name. (Hey, he might be a lousy analyst, but that doesn’t mean he should be pinned with a label that he doesn’t deserve.)
- It does a tremendous disservice to victims of legitimate racial intolerance. Every time someone is falsely accused of making racist comments, it creates an extra burden on real victims to prove that their claims are true.
It would be nice to see FOX either admit their mistake in accusing Lyons of making racist remarks and reinstate him or come clean and acknowledge that they were looking for an excuse to get rid of him. Otherwise, the network wags are crying wolf, and it will be that much more difficult for us to recognize true racist remarks when they are made.
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POSTED IN: Odds and Ends
1 opinion for Lyons Fired for “Insensitive” Comments
Didi
Oct 18, 2006 at 10:43 am
Well said, Geoff. Given the history that Lyons had with running his mouth off with inane comments, he’d have made racist remarks forever. All his does is made stupid comments, analysis be damned.
Great point on #2. But I don’t think FOX can be bothered with that now, can it?
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