Dana Jacobson suspended
In case you missed it, ESPN anchor Dana Jacobson was suspended a week for her language and behavior at a roast of morning radio guys “Mike & Mike”:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22805238/
Can someone explain this to me?
Seriously. Isn’t a celebrity roast all about going *too* far? Isn’t the idea to get lit, and cuss, and let it all hang out - and then we go back to being civilized human beings in the morning?
The most amusing part for me is folks in the industry who are issuing “shame on you” pronouncements from on high. I’ve seen her on TV a few times and she seems fine to me - but I’v never met the woman in person and certainly don’t know her privately, so I have no idea what type of person she really is. But it really doesn’t matter to me regardless. If any of her peers admonishing her have never got too drunk and gone too far with their co-workers then… well, shame on them. They should try it some time. It’s very liberating.
She drank a bit too much and swore a bit too much… at a freakin’ celebrity roast. Have any of these people been to one of these things or seen footage? They’ve probably not seen footage, cuz they’d have to
If Golic and/or Greenberg were offended by something she (or anyone else) said, then (a) shame on them for taking themselves, and her, too seriously, but (b) that’s a private discussion between them and her. And if anyone in that audience was offended then… well, what did they expect from… a freakin’ celebrity roast?! It’s not a quilting bee, or the town library reading group!
Apparently Jacobsen first said, “F*** Notre Dame!”. Then, “F*** touchdown Jesus!” And finally, “F*** Jesus!”. I’m an Irish Catholic and I’m a Notre Dame fan… but, I guess I’m not a “good” Irish Catholic cuz I’m not offended. I’ve considered the circumstance of the comments and I’ve decided there’s no earthly reason for me to be offended. Quite frankly, she’s not the first person to say any of those three things - and she’s far from the last as well. So what?!
I’m annoyed… and I’m done now.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Quite frankly, if anything, suspend Skip Bayless from “First Take”… indefinitely. What he says on a daily basis is far more offensive to me than a few blue comments about Notre Dame at a freakin’ celebrity roast. I cannot believe that guy gets paid to offer his “insight” on the day’s sports stories.
I’d rather listen to fingernails across a chalkboard, cuz at least the fingernails know they’re being irritating.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Why are you even applying logic to the Jacobson situation? As we all know, logic and sportswriters/media do NOT go hand in hand…
January 24th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
Fair point - but I guess I’m surprised that some in the industry didn’t jump into “knee-jerk defense” reaction and pooh-pooh what she did and said (well… like I did, I guess). Then again, it’s a shark’s industry and when there’s chum in the water, I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that the frenzy ensued.
January 24th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
I think “F*** Jesus” is in very poor taste, and her apology is appropriate. If I had an employee making comments like that in public, I would want to distance myself from them as well. A brief suspension seems like an effective way for Disney to make sure nobody thinks they’re OK with “F*** Jesus” without letting the situation drag out or get out of hand. It’s a smart business decision.
January 24th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
So F*** Jesus is in poor taste, but F*** Notre Dame and F*** Touchdown Jesus isn’t? You’d be OK with your employee making THOSE comments?
Besides, as a Jew she has every right to say F*** Jesus.
:-)
January 25th, 2008 at 8:01 am
I understand why Disney did what they did, and I suppose they could’ve really overreacted to the situation like some of Jacobson’s media peers seem to have - but I still think it needs to be seen in context. In short, to me, the specific language doesn’t really bother me that much… but the apparent scene of that, combined with her clearly inebriated demeanor is reason for an apology to be given. But I guess I think it shoud’ve ended there. Getting suspended a week seems an unnecessary nod to the PC police - but again, I suppose they could’ve reacted with far more.
And if folks were that offended or upset over her behavior, how come none of her friends came to get her off stage before she was “done”? Or what that have created a bigger scene and/or made it worse?
January 25th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Well, I think insulting a school is less likely to get people riled up than insulting the deity of perhaps a quarter of humanity (whether it is your deity of choice or not). It seems a bit off topic, and if your company’s most valuable asset is a brand perceived as family friendly and wholesome, you really can’t have high profile employees spouting off like that. So administering a nominal punishment then just getting on with life seems like a reasonably pragmatic response.
I agree with Cliffy that in situations like this there does tend to be a piling on of moral preeners (as seems to be the case in the world of golf of late), but thats all the more reason to deal with it quickly and cleanly and let it be forgotten.
January 25th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
But that’s my point, Tank - would the other comments justified a suspension in your eyes? You are correct - Disney is perceived as family friendly; so why would the other comments not offend? Do family friendly people usually insult thousands of active students and alumni of a university, while completely hammered? (last time I checked, being wasted is not a family friendly activity. Unless your the Osbournes, I guess).
It’s disingenous, IMO, to say that Disney would have to suspend for the last comment, and not the other comments.
January 26th, 2008 at 4:27 am
If I’m in the car, I generally listen to Boston sportstalk radio, WEEI - and their morning show is “Dennis & Callahan”. They’ve been riding Jacobson for a couple of days and won’t let the story die. It’s annoying. Friday morning, they were talking about what to watch on TV this weekend - as it’s seen as a dead sports weekend to many. I forget the exact words, but one of them commented that he’d probably do a Heath Ledger weekend, just sit back and take a bunch of pills. The other commented that he needed to make sure he was morose and acting like a tortured soul, or something like that. Also, to make sure he was naked before starting.
To me, that is *far* more offensive than what one co-worker says to other co-workers while drunk at a celebrity roast. Making light of a young man’s death - be it accidental or suicide - is profane. It seems exceedingly ironic to me that they then proceeded to make fun of Jacobson and her incident (which is fair game, btw… if you do or say something stupid while drunk, to me, *that* is the consequence: getting ribbed by others for it). So they saying how inappropriate Jacobson’s words were… after making fun of a 28-yr-old’s unfortunate passing.
I guess I just have a skewed view of the world… it must be me.
January 26th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
It’s not about whether it was offensive or not, per se. It’s about the fact that it was an official ESPN event, and as an ESPN employee she represents the company while she’s there.
You can’t take the podium at a company event shithammered and clutching a handle of vodka, swig out of said handle while you’re on the podium, then go on a drunken rant that includes F bombs, not to mention derogitory F boms about deities, and then have to be dragged off of said podium…and not expect to be disciplined.
Not to mention, as Tank accurately points out, the issue with parent company and its brand image.
She’s lucky she didn’t get fired.
And FWIW, I work with someone who knows her, and says there was no way there was offense intended. Doesn’t matter.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Disingenuous? I don’t really see what you mean. I understand the case for taking action against the entire drunken tirade, but I also think that there has to be some leeway given the venue for less-than-polite comments. One can legitimately debate the issue, but the gratuitous Jesus comment seems to be an easy call - unrelated to the subject at hand and highly offensive to millions of people. Touchdown Jesus invites ridicule, but Disney isn’t paying her to publicly insult the deity of many if not most of its customers.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:22 am
IMO, If she’s going to be suspended (due to brand image, or whatever), it should be for any part of the rant, not just because of the Jesus comment.
January 27th, 2008 at 7:53 am
I’m curious for feedback on a couple of guys on a morning radio show - during their show - making fun of Heath Ledger’s recent passing. I personally find that *far* more offensive than Jacobson getting lit and blue at a roast. If I’m alone in that regard, that’s fine - but someone tell me why that’s okay and what Jacobson did is so much worse? Is it the inclusion of F-bombs?
If its the subject matter, then I have to say as a lifelong Catholic, I’m far less offended when someone badmouths Jesus than I am when someone makes light of someone’s death (accidental or suicide - but especially if its suicide). They didn’t cuss, but what they said - in my view - is *far* more offensive, and *far* more worthy of reprimand/consequence/moral outrage.
January 27th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
Personally, I agree that mocking a young death is generally more offensive, distasteful, classless - pick your adjective - than a drunken tirade. Anyone offended by Dana Jacobsen can write it off as a product of too much to drink; no similar excuse would seem to exist for the radio guys.