Rushing to Judgment (Lost in Limbaugh?)

GM,

It’s frightening to know that Al Davis has job security despite his dreadful incompetence, while Rush Limbaugh may be prevented from buying a team because of his political views. The fact is, though, that for many mega-successful businessmen, success is due to an utter refusal to reveal potentially unpopular or divisive stances. Hell, ask Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, who are notorious for refusing to admit they’re Democrats because it would harm their brands. For media personalities, on the other hand, niches make riches, and Rush’s niche is conservative America, which, contrary to what popular television programming would have us believe, is a pretty big segment in this country. Should his bid to own an NFL team be denied just because he votes differently and thinks differently than three-fourths of the players? Reverend Al Sharpton seems to think so. (Scroll halfway down or search "Sharpton".)

In an interview with Anderson Cooper Monday, Sharpton joined former Dolphins running back Mercury Morris to talk about the possibility. While Morris seemed level-headed through much of the interview (and I’ll get to his absurdity later), Sharpton suggested that Rush’s attempt at ownership should immediately be squashed simply because of his past comments about Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick (scroll down to Story #8), and the league in general.

Morris was reasonable--saying he had every right to buy the team but that it may be unwise because of his reputation--until he arrived at this:

We have got a president now who is the quarterback. And I think that that's what's bothering Limbaugh the most, is that the guy who is calling the shots here in this country is a black man.

And, so, how can I have some power? Well, let me buy some -- some people, and then I can put who I want in there, rather than who's the best person there.

If you think Rush is a racist, fine, although his McNabb remarks weren’t racist; rather, they accused the sports media of being racist. But surely he’s not so racist that he would burn through his own money and reputation to ruin a franchise so that white players can see more playing time. If that is the case, I highly suggest he first consult Larry Bird.

-JW

JW,

I saw the segment you linked us to live, and I'm now ready to declare that I support anything that allows former NFL players to talk politics with Anderson Cooper and Al Sharpton. So what if CNN's journalistic standards are losing ground to Kent Brockman at this point? This is television we're talking about, and I couldn't have been more enthralled if the participants had been juggling pies.

After all, the Limbaugh story has spent the past week engendering that strange mix of careerism and self-righteousness peculiar to television and newspaper personalities during an invented crisis. Anderson Cooper was at his faux-compassionate best; Kevin Blackistone strung together several complete sentences; and Jason Whitlock broke out the hyperbole like it was going bad in his refrigerator. Add to that Mercury Morris's unintentional exploration of the political insensitivity of sports "ownership" and you've got my favorite story of the year.

What you've also got, of course, is a story that exposes the laughable hypocrisy of the people who run the American media establishment. While you're right about Jordan and Woods, surely you've noticed that Keith Olbermann has done quite well on NBC's pre-game show despite a niche every bit as intricately defined as Rush's and potentially as overbearing. This is the guy, don't forget, who called television's 24 a right-wing plot to breed intolerance of Arabs. (He's right, by the way, in that I'm pronouncing it A-rabs in my head and giggling.) This is the guy who refers to the "irrational" Right on one program and calls the Right's favorite game on another. Simply put, he's a double agent, just like Limbaugh. To the extent that the men and women in charge overlook him, they do so because they spend long stretches of time having forgotten that conservatives even exist. That we're not all in agreement.

It seems clear at this point that Limbaugh's not going to get his team, and in the end, the real victims of this debacle are the people of St. Louis. After all, they were very close to putting the team in the hands of someone who actually cares about football. So what if those hands are a little dirty? Last I checked, the wins still count.

-GM