TV Analyst Fired over Dallas Cowboys "Sissy" Comment in 1977

One TV analyst's "sissy" comment about the Dallas Cowboys cost him his job.

And here I thought cancel culture was a relatively modern pursuit.

Get our free mobile app

The video at the bottom of this article is a clip from an NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys which aired on CBS in 1977.

The Offending Remark

CBS analyst Alex Hawkins tells his partner Vin Scully that Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Roger Staubach "runs like a sissy," as he's jogging up to the line of scrimmage. After a brief pause, Scully asks Hawkins, "Did you wear a helmet when you played?"

What Does it Even Mean?

A few days later, Alex Hawkins was fired. Is sissy that bad of a term? Dictionary.com defines it as:

a soft, timid, or oversensitive person, or a boy or man viewed as being overly interested in things traditionally associated with women.

It's not that bad of an insult, is it? I honestly didn't think people lost their jobs in 1977 for saying things like that. I always find that there's usually more to the story when something like this doesn't add up. There were probably more incidents than that which led to the firing.

More to the Story

And there was. Not too long after the comment was made, Hawkins was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of marijuana according to this article.

Justified or Nah?

What do you think? Was he fired because of the comment, or the arrest? Remember, back then there was no internet, so his bosses might not even have known about it. Check out the video for yourself below: