"Saturday Night Live" has never been a show to shy away from uncomfortable and controversial topics. And in a year like 2020, with topics like racial violence and social justice at the forefront, it's no surprise that SNL is centering various acts and skit around them. Comedian Bill Burr was brought on as a host on the latest episode, which further emphasized that nothing was off-limits. Anyone who has watched Burr perform stand-up knows that he's more than willing to hit on touchy subjects.
The combination of SNL writers and Burr manifested itself in a very memorable show, which had its critics -- "I had to change the channel," one fan said -- and its fans -- Dennis Perkins of AV Club called his performance one that brought "badly needed boldness."
One skit that was as sensitive as any was called "Sports Debate," featuring Burr as a white sports commentator recapping the Bears-Buccaneers game with two black co-hosts (Ego Nwodim and Kenan Thompson). Burr was overly excited about the outcome of the game, mentioning that he and Thompson had made a bet before the game and that it resulted in Burr getting a free steak dinner.
However, Nwodim and Thompson were understandably more focused on a tragedy involving a black man, Kareem Jenkins, who was shot by police when the game was on. Burr seemed to have no idea that it occurred -- and that's when things got awkward.
Though nothing of this capacity has happened on a similar sports talk show, there have been moments during broadcasts where announcers have taken heat from viewers that found their tendency to "stick to sports" inappropriate. Al Michaels, one of the most respected play-by-play announcers in history, was one figure at the center of a lot of criticism.
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There have also been announcers and commentators, including Thom Brennaman and Tony Bruno, who have lost their jobs due to comments that are completely unacceptable, regardless of how heightened the nation is to racist and bigoted remarks.
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We're thankful that the bit featuring Burr was exactly that -- a comedic bit -- but the fact that it's so close to reality is disturbing and what made it resonate.
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