Don Imus Must Go

Don Imus got off easy.

In case your Internet connection filters out all non-sports/pornographic websites, “shock jock” Don Imus was suspended for two weeks after by his employers, CBS Radio and MSNBC, for referring to members of the Rutgers women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos” when discussing the 2007 Women’s Final Four.

While I applaud CBS and MSNBC for taking some action, I feel they dropped the ball in amount of the punishment that they handed out to Mr. Imus. Both companies had a golden opportunity to send a message to not only their own employees, but to every citizen of this country. This was a chance to say, “America, we do not condone any discussion of women’s college basketball. Whether it be in the workplace or in your private homes, this topic should never be mentioned, because it is not worth mentioning. And we expect you to feel the same way”.

Unfortunately, this slap on the wrist will not deter Don Imus from talking about women’s college basketball in the future. And what if I overhear one of my subordinates talking about Pat Summit and how she devised a simple inbounds play so a 5’4 girl could hit an open 12-foot bank shot? Am I supposed to just let that slide? Because you know if I bring it up and try to discipline him, he’ll just use the excuse “Well if Don Imus can talk about women’s college hoops, then why can’t I?” Likewise if CBS and MSNBC, two large media companies, are going to give one of their most popular hosts a two week vacation for talking about the subject, I, as a small business, don’t have much recourse.

Now a lot of people are already waving their “Free Speech” card and stating that what Don Imus said is protected by the First Amendment. Well I’m sorry, but there are lines of decency that should not be protected by Free Speech, and talking about women’s college crosses that line. It is bad enough if you are flipping through the channels and you have to actually see these girls slowly plod up and down the court, missing layups and playing a style of basketball that was popular with America in 1953. But to have to actually listen to someone discuss the ugliness of the sport and expect you to be as interested as they are in it is too much for me to handle.

If CBS and MSNBC are truly represent the values of the American sports fan, they will eventually reach the same conclusion that I have: Don Imus Must Go.