Defending Steven Cohen

Steven Cohen, co-host of World Soccer Daily, a satellite radio show dedicated to all things soccer, is in a bit of hot water over some things he said on a recent show. On an April 13 episode, while taking phone calls from listeners, Cohen commented on the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster.

It was a horrific event where 96 soccer fans were crushed to death at an FC Cup semi-final match between between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

So what exactly did Cohen say? From EPL Talk:

“People showing up without ticket, hell bent in getting into somewhere where they shouldn’t be going because they don’t have tickets, is the root cause of [the Hillsborough Disaster].”

Except this is not what Cohen actually said.  The quote is incorrect.  The above is a partial quote about the 23 fans that died in a similar fashion in the Ivory Coast at a World Cup qualifier. The correct quote should read:

“The thing is, the 23 that died in the Ivory Coast, in my opinion, the police were absolutely had something to do with it.  At the end of the day, people showing up without ticket, hell bent in getting into somewhere where they shouldn’t be going because they don’t have tickets, is the root cause of it in my opinion.

Cohen went on to say more.  Also from EPL Talk:

“I’m yet to read anybody write in this weekend’s Sunday papers in England, where they’re all doing big commemorations about the 96, and why we should never forget and how it’s changed the game, nobody discusses the 6,000 to 8,000 who showed up without tickets and my argument has always been, if those people don’t show up, this never happens.”

This too is not an accurate quote, but in this case, the misquoting does not change what Cohen said.  His point is that Liverpool fans showed up at the game without tickets.  The episode can be downloaded from iTunes.  The comments on Hillsborough begin around the 1 hour, 13 minute mark.

People who have a problem with what Cohen said seem bothered the most by Cohen’s opinion that  “6,000 to 8,000″ Liverpool fans showed up at the game without tickets.  The Taylor Report, the official inquiry into the Hillsborough Disaster, found this not to be the case.

What bothers me the most about all this is that a group identifying themselves as the The North American Liverpool Supporters are trying to get those that advertise on World Soccer Daily to drop the show.  They sending form letters to advertisers, urging advertisers to drop the show. An excerpt:

This is not a free speech issue. Mr. Cohen has every right to say what he wants on air within FCC regulations. However he has crossed the line as far as we are concerned. So he is free to say whatever he wants but with free speech one also needs to understand there are consequences to ones action. The potential boycott is one of those consequences.

Except it is a free speech issue and there are no FCC regulations concerning satellite talk radio. Cohen stated over and over again that he was only stating his opinion of what happened that tragic day in Hillsborough. The anonymous members of The North American Liverpool Supporters are the ones that have crossed the line by contacting sponsors to get them to stop advertising on World Soccer Daily.

It’s a dick move.

Is Cohen wrong about the 6,000 to 8,000 ticketless Liverpool fans? Probably, but that shouldn’t matter. Cohen is a radio talk show host. His job is to say things. Sometimes those things are going to be wrong. Sometimes those things are going to be controversial. Sometimes those things are going to be stupid.  If you don’t like what someone on the radio is saying, don’t listen.  Just because you don’t like what someone says on the radio doesn’t mean you have a right to get someone permanently silenced.  It’s wrong.