Craig James out at Fox Sports after One Appearance
James was a very unpopular figure among college football fans during his latter years at ESPN and statements he made during his Senate campaign last year in Texas -- James declared that gay people would "answer to the Lord for their actions"-- were likely unpopular among some in Fox Sports management.Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130902/craig-j…
September 2nd, 2013 at 2:09 AM ^
No mention of hookers?
September 3rd, 2013 at 10:28 AM ^
*alleged hookers.
September 3rd, 2013 at 11:02 AM ^
AGAIN with the hookers? WTF man!? I've told you all a thousand times - I DID NOT ALLEGEDLY KILL 5 HOOKERS! Whoever told you that is allegedly lying! Keep it up and I'll allegedly kill one of you! Wait. I take that back. Allegedly.
September 2nd, 2013 at 2:09 AM ^
CJK5H.
September 2nd, 2013 at 2:32 AM ^
Did he ever address that?
September 2nd, 2013 at 2:46 AM ^
Has he ever denied it?
The answer is no.
September 2nd, 2013 at 3:43 AM ^
Craig James killed 5 job opportunities
September 2nd, 2013 at 9:28 AM ^
This comment rings true.
September 2nd, 2013 at 2:18 AM ^
Why did he have the job in the first place?
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:08 AM ^
This kind of bothers me on the part of Fox b/c all of the stuff in that statement happened before he was hired.
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:39 AM ^
No politics.
September 2nd, 2013 at 9:41 AM ^
I didn't mean it bothered me that they hired him. I meant it bothers me that they hired him knowing all of that stuff, then fired him b/c of it. If all that was going to be a problem for them or their viewers, wouldn't that have been easy enough to foresee before making the hire?
September 2nd, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^
...is that they hired him because somebody thought it was all just a PC thing and that he probably had a lot of silent support out there.
Then they brought him on and found out he's reviled by pretty much everyone, left right or center.
Sorry for the apolitical politics, but if there's one thing that unites this country it's contempt for Craig James, and the stuff mentioned in the article is just a small portion of it.
(Plus they probably heard from their employees when they had to deal with him every day.)
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:43 AM ^
they hired him in spite of all that, and then found him to be intolerable and are using that as a convenient excuse to let him go.
or maybe the real reason is something more, dark... sinister... scandalous? I seem to recall something like that being attached to his name
September 2nd, 2013 at 9:03 AM ^
sells - but apparently only so much - Bye bye CJ
September 2nd, 2013 at 2:42 AM ^
Didnt know about James' comments about gays. I always associated him with SMU and the infamous college football "death penalty".
September 2nd, 2013 at 7:20 AM ^
Yes. He was at the center of it, but he was untouched, blameless, a victim.
And the Mike Leach thing. James using his position at ESPN in that. ESPN letting him do it. And James getting his son into the Army All-American Bowl, despite the fact he wasn't even all-state in Texas' second-smallest (2A) division. Then using that to sucker Leach into taking him.
September 2nd, 2013 at 7:22 AM ^
Even when he was hired by Fox Sports Southwest, TheBigLead did a piece highlighting the walking tire fire that they were getting, even employing a rather chuckleworthy quote from the Public Policy Polling summary of his Senate bid:
"As Craig James has become better known he’s just gotten more and more unpopular. Only 14% of voters see him favorably to 32% with a negative opinion. Even among SMU fans he had literally zero support on this poll- granted there were only 12 of them in the sample.”
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:43 AM ^
Yeah, I read the article as well and was surprised that even SMU fans thought he was a twerp. He's always been bad at his job, but when your own fans think you are wasted space, you should probably just move.
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:59 AM ^
This is the reason I never thought James should have been on any network to begin with. The man represents college football at its worst. The most famous thing he ever said was that he "had to take a pay cut to play in the NFL." How can a guy like that relate to genuine student-athletes?
Besides, he's a serial killer of hookers (allegedly).
September 2nd, 2013 at 4:12 AM ^
remember the 5!!
September 2nd, 2013 at 12:40 PM ^
#rememberthe5
September 2nd, 2013 at 6:32 AM ^
Don't feel bad. I'm sure he invested his SMU income wisely.
September 2nd, 2013 at 7:04 AM ^
Allegedly CJK5H
September 2nd, 2013 at 7:15 AM ^
It will be tough for those 5 families to have lucrative civil suits against him.
September 2nd, 2013 at 7:41 AM ^
When you kill 5 hookers people tend to write you off.
September 2nd, 2013 at 7:55 AM ^
allegedly
September 2nd, 2013 at 7:53 AM ^
This place is strictly "no politics," check out the comment section of that article.
I dont get it though, what changed over the course of 1 appearance?
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:03 AM ^
One night this week. Now it's CJK10H
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:27 AM ^
woah 10 now! he must have went on another bender after getting fired.
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:01 AM ^
I know, "politics" but the idea that James' politics were unpopular at FOX seems pretty dubious.
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:11 AM ^
I'd imagine there is a significant difference between Fox Sports and Fox News. Kind of like I'd imagine the producers and management at CNBC vs. MSNBC.
September 2nd, 2013 at 11:55 AM ^
I've done contract work for Fox Networks. Fox News is an entirely separate entity. All of the other Fox Channels work together out of Beverly Hills (not including the regional sports channels which are headquartered regionally of course), but Fox News is headquartered in New York and is prety much a completely independent entity that has pretty much zero overlap with any of the other Fox channels.
Yeah, they all report back to the same place at the top eventually, but Fox News and Fox Sports are 100% different places and the politics of Fox News don't have any bearing on Fox Sports or any of the other Fox channels.
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:42 AM ^
While it's true Fox News Channel produces news alerts and other special coverage for the larger broadcast network, it's a mistake to see FNC as in control of the larger entities, Fox Broadcasting and Fox Entertainment, themselves part of 21st Century Fox.
Indeed, keeping the FNC brand separate from the pure entertainment sectors (which include Fox Sports) of the company seems likely to be something the higher-ups are concerned with. A gigantic headache for them, I would think. Thus, this decision with regard to James, a controversial figure on multiple levels. While partisan controversy works well as a business model for FNC, it isn't really broad-based enough to work for entertainment and sports.
September 3rd, 2013 at 8:31 AM ^
than is generally understood. Murdoch backed Obama, quietly, has been close to both parties recently in England and wields considerable influence over both here, was scathing about Romney's campaign, and may well (quietly again) back Hillary. If you see Fox News as a vehicle calibrated to appeal to a certain segment of the electorate rather than as something purely ideological, you're much more likely to be able to parse their moves.
In addition to being a lightning rod, James ain't all that bright.
September 2nd, 2013 at 3:44 PM ^
of left-of-center view points for a good decade after he left ESPN the first time. I don't think politics is the issue with James so much as the fact that he a giant douchebag who got a head coach fired. There is a serious problem with likeability that transcends politics. I think conservatives and liberals both can agree that James is an a**hole.
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:23 AM ^
Remember the five.
September 2nd, 2013 at 9:52 AM ^
Remember it because there was 5.
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:32 AM ^
Needs to make it on a sign on college game day.
September 2nd, 2013 at 9:52 AM ^
Like this idea
September 2nd, 2013 at 8:36 AM ^
Well, back to managing Bass Pro Shop for him.
September 2nd, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^
I don't care if this is done by an 11W blogger, this is the best thing I have ever seen (I know it's a repost)
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:01 AM ^
I am not sure why I never saw this and it's hilarious. Bravo, 11W's.
September 2nd, 2013 at 9:59 AM ^
He was hired by a buddy at the regional level without getting approval from the head office. It might cost the guy who hired him his own job at the end of the season. Something else CJames has killed.
Ps. Just in case it wasn't mentioned earlier
CJK5H -- allegedly
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:17 AM ^
An unemployed Craig James? Keep your eyes on the obituaries.
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:22 AM ^
When you're a "celeb" and decide to reveal your politics you alienate 50% of the audience. He lost me with his hatchet job on Leach. Adios Craig. Don't let the corporate doors hit you in the ass. Oops...too late.
September 2nd, 2013 at 10:35 AM ^
HE KILLED FIVE HOOKERS WHILE AT SMU.