Sportscaster fired for quoting Prince lyrics in broadcast

Prince has been gone a week now, and everyone is paying tribute in his or her own way. Some ways, apparently, are better received than others.

Dan Phillips of WZTV in Nashville wove Prince lyrics and song titles into a recent evening sportscast, as you can see below. Nice idea, right?

As Phillips wrote on his Facebook page:

"First of all, I want to thank everyone for the kind words, comments and positive feedback on this tribute I did to Prince last week. It really means a lot.

"Unfortunately, there were apparently some viewers, as well as management at the station, who did not feel the same way. They felt I was insensitive. And as a result, I was terminated today.

"I'm choosing to use this as a catalyst for some exciting things I've been working on for some time now. I'll have many more details on this in coming days.

"For now, thanks again for all of your support. And if you need an old, washed-up sports guy for anything, please let me know!"

Well, assuming that's the real reason for his firing, that's just disappointing as all get out. Someone hire this man; creativity, a sense of humor, and a respect for quality music should always be rewarded.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.