Hank Williams Jr. for president: A short primer on sports, politics, and (un)popular culture

Musician Hank Williams Jr. attends the launch party for Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey at the Marathon Building on November 9, 2010, in Nashville, Tennessee.

/ Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

When country singer, Hank Williams Jr., compared President Obama to Hitler, he did his country a great service by making explicit just how far we have fallen. But Mr. Williams' comments have little to do with our nation state's efforts to rebuild our economy, ameliorate the stifling bipartisanship, or document the Obama presidency-to-date. No, when Fox News asked the singer to weigh in on a very complicated and emerging political climate, they prompted a debased rhetoric that, in the mind of some media pundits, elevated the normative room temperature milieu of Fox News. In other words, when co-anchor, Gretchen Carlson stated "I just want to say we disavow any of those analogies he made,"Fox News, for that moment in time, appeared fair and balanced.

But what is intriguing beyond the polemics of media ideology is just how sports got mixed up in all this. The most defensible argument is that sports and politics are always and already connected to political structures. From the Roman Republic's use of panem et circenses (bread and circuses) to our post 9/11 MLB 7th inning stretch anthem-of-choice to our pervasive fascination with medal counts at the Olympic Games, sport has been used for, by, and with structures of power. Ask how one of our most popular presidents in recent history was partially elected based on skills attained while playing a football star?

But what is most interesting, is how through popular culture, sports and politics are increasingly linked at the level of metaphor. You can't dismiss Williams' comments as "only an analog" because that's how we communicate. President Obama supports his decision not to display the body of Osama bin Laden by claiming "we don't need to spike the football." Congressional speeches are rife with sport references such as "it will be a game-changer", "we have to carry it all the way into the end zone," and "who dares sack our quarterback...I vote for the long bomb." Certainly, sport metaphors are as powerfully useful in senatorial debate as they are in backing up a bar bet.

So, when Hank Williams Jr. spits out an alarming and destructive analog that has him removed from the Monday Night Football lineup, why should we be surprised? We have allowed a game to be regularly analogized with conflicts of mortal stakes. We ask (and even respect) under-informed artists for their opinions on issues of national concern. Pseudo-candidates create sport-related identities that the Everyman can relate to (read: "just a hockey mom").

And when examples of real discriminatory behavior are seen in and through the commercial sports arena, do we really pay attention? So, before we offer kudos to Fox News for calling out Williams' offensive remarks, cannot we ask why co-host Carlson, in response to Williams' sexist comment, "I'd rather be there looking at Gretchen," she only answered, "good morning to you too"?

The interdependency of sport and politics is as complete as sport and society. But our level of engagement and trust can do better than relying on very good artists/entertainers to take our national pulse.

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Scott Tinley, a retired professional triathlete and two-time Ironman World Champion, writes about fallen heroes and teaches sport humanities courses at San Diego State University. His book Racing the Sunset: An Athlete's Quest for Life After Sport explores the world of pro athletes in transition.

[dixiegrl75]

last time I checked we have a little thing called free speech. Most of americans agree with Hank, Obama is a discrace and should be impeached! Go Hank! They will have his song back on Monday nites soon. Thank God for the true patroits that speak out!

His career on Monday night should end, although i will miss the introduction. We should have zero tolerance from individuals who decide to be a public figure. I think his comments festers into the Hate ideology as we see in some of the comments today. There are religious groups who are using Christianity to Justify hate and violence. We as a country do not need more division among the wide variety of ethnic, social, cultural, economics and religion groups.

[texbelle123]

Why is this NOT on the 'front page'? When Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks simply said that she was ashamed that President Bush was from Texas, the Dixie Chicks were cruxified and their careers derailed. Here is an long-running idiot saying something MUCH, MUCH worse ... and is there any outrage? No. People are finally saying what should have been said all along: Freedom of Speech allows Hank -- AND NATALIE -- to say what they want.
But what IS scary (note the spelling, Patriot Mark) is the attitude and the (attempted) statements of Patriot Mark's post. Just because we have a bi-racial President, the 'Christian white' -- ( can we all say 'Neo-Nazi' together ) -- has a reason to be 'scaired'?

[gotagripper]

PatriotMark, some news for you. Number one, Hank can say what he wants and he did. Everyone else can criticize him and they are. Freedom of speech - ain't it great? Number two, calling the president Hitler without explaining how the comparison is true is not criticism, it's just extreme name calling and hatred, which Hank is also free to engage in in America. And the rest of us are free to express our opinion that Hank is an ignorant hater. Number three, you are free to express your opinion, which you have done on this website than can be seen anywhere in the world. The rest of us are free to say what we think of your vile thoughts. So, PatriotMark, please explain to me how there is no freedom of speech in America? Seems you prove yourself wrong with your own post!

[PatriotMark]

There is no freedom of speech if you dare criticise the annointed one. I am so scaired for my country. The white Christian person seems to be a miniority in our country these days, and we exist only to be discriminated against and worked as slaves so that the former minorities don't have to work. It's reapairations for the parasites and that is Obama's agenda. Thank God most of us have guns and now that we have been backed into a corner they will see that us "old biggots" will fight them to our deaths.

[zodiac45]

Hank is one to talk alright. Since when does he represent the little guy? He tried to screw his own half sister out of a part of their father's legacy even after it was proved by DNA that she was legit! Then he rode on daddy's coat-tails to a Country music career. Yeah, he's a little guy for sure. He and the Pea party deserve each other.