Quote:
Originally Posted by curves2000
Some (you) people  just don't get the what Cherry was paid to do and that was provide opinion, controversy and debate topics of the day. That was his gig! It wasn't to provide mundane analysis on PP1.
Of course he had controversial views, he was Don Cherry and was from a different generation. Things change, times change, people change. This obsession people have with comparisons and gotcha videos from back in the day is comical. He said this and that? Big deal. Go watch any tv show from the 80, 90's and 00's. They were saying the same thing and even worse because of the age difference.
The TV show Friends, a relatively modern show about 20 something progressives living in NYC used homophobic slurs, uncomfortable trans feelings and comedy to make billions. Throw in making fun of fat people and it's comical to think what would happen with the modern version.
I miss the guy on HNIC and it was way more exciting then but he didn't have much runway left on the show given his age and how covid shut down sports. If Rogers wanted to fire him, that is their right although I don't think it warranted a firing. He should have been given a few weeks for things to cool down and perhaps have a final Coaches Corner and goodbye.
I would love to hear his opinion on the new CBA dress code for players and no more suits!
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As a kid I used to love watching Don Cherry every Saturday hoping he'd say something good about my team. But even then I understood that his opinions were antiquated and tinged with negativity bordering on hatred. If you were a Canadian (but not Quebecois) or later American (but depends on the type of American) who played a certain way, dressed a certain way and revered the old guys like Cherry, he loved you. But he had a negative thing to say about almost everyone else including Quebecois, Europeans, women, homosexuals and immigrants. It was largely a platform to elevate a certain kind of person and #### on everyone else. And it was on Canada's public broadcaster. The fact that he was from a different generation isn't a proverbial get-out-of-jail card for saying any stupid or cruel thing.
Times change and people change, as you said. The TV shows that you reference were of their time and the one's that really had a long run changed with the times. The one's that didn't have a long run were often victims of their inability to change with the times. Cherry certainly didn't. So, why is he owed anything when he stubbornly clings to his mean-girl schtick while most people in the world are trying to be a little nicer to each other?
I agree that television is primarily for entertainment. It's even better when it's entertaining and informative. While some people may have found Cherry informative, I think most people tuned in just for the bombast. Similar to Trump, often it was difficult for him to put together a coherent sentence and when he managed to make a clear point it was often ridiculous and/or ignorant. In my opinion, Cherry was around 10-20 years too long. Same goes for Maclean now.