Former Boston Bruin and now NHL analyst, Mike Milbury is in some hot water for a comment he made during a live broadcast. While John Forslund and Mike Milbury were commentating and covering the broadcast live, they started talking about the "bubble" that the NFL players are in right now during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are in this bubble as to not contract the Coronavirus. With that, only NFL players, staff, and select broadcasters are allowed inside the bubble. As Forslund and Milbury were talking about the pros of the "bubble" how it's a "terrific place" if you enjoy being with your teammates for long periods of time, Milbury went on to say and "not any women here to disrupt your concentration".
Do you think this comment was in poor taste? On the surface, I do but that's also because I do not fully understand the ins and outs of hockey and sports culture. I'm taking this comment on the surface (as many women are) and I find the choice of words to be poor. The way he said it, I interpreted it as a "ugh, women, they are so nagging and such a disruption to be around". Until VB shared his interpretation being that women are a distraction meaning draw men's attention away from the game in terms of attraction and sex, I did not think of it that way and I now understand better where Milbury might have been coming from. With that being said, he should have said distraction instead of disruption. The word "disruption" is a bit more aggressive. I honestly wouldn't take aim with him saying something like there is no women around as a "distraction". I don't think Milbury needs to be fired or "canceled". There just needs to be a clarification so people all around understand where he was coming from because when you describe women as a distraction rather than a disruption, it plays better. On one hand I think there is truth in saying women are a distraction to men for sure, but on the other hand I say damn it, pull it together! The NHL put out a statement on this:
Overall don't fire or cancel Milbury, just clarify where he was coming from on this one; that women can be a distraction to men, that's not a bad thing or a way to put women down, it's a reality for some men.
-Producer Lightning