FanPost

Limbaugh, Lies, and the NFL

Comments closed. I allowed this post to stay up due to it being currently relevant to the league. Perhaps a bad decision on my part, as surprise, surprise, a political debate erupted. For those of you who provided thoughtful commentary for others to consider, many thanks. For those who were offended or disappointed to see the post left up, my apologies. After reading the well written fanpost, I decided to leave it up, as it wasn't necessarily political in its tone. But as is usually the case, it turned in that direction. So anyway, let's try to remember the 'no politics' rule here at all times and limit our reflections on relevant NFL topics to points of view outside the realm of politics. If that makes any sense. Thanks. - Blitz - (Michael B.)

I've been following the Rush Limbaugh brouhaha quite closely this week. It surprises me to see that no one has yet to weigh in on this issue here at BTSC. Let me be the first. Baseball is no longer America's pastime, political correctness and race baiting have obviously taken it's place. And in this circumstance it's America's passion that is the clear loser. As a lifelong fan of the NFL (go Steelers) I personally would have welcomed the possibility of Rush moving into an ownership position. Owners such as the once great Al Davis and the ever inept Dan Snyder are running storied franchises into the ground. Jerry Jones repeatedly scrapes the bottom of the barrel and thinks it's the cream of the crop. Could Rush Limbaugh have done much worse? I guess we will never know.

I took the time before writing this post to do a little research. I read Rush's quote about Donovan McNabb in context. I also searched other articles that were being written around that time about McNabb and the overall situation with black QB's in general. I also checked McNabb's stats during the period leading up to the comments. In my view Rush Limbaugh was mostly accurate in his assessment. A week after Rush was fired from ESPN freelance author and sports journalist Allen Barra wrote a very insightful piece putting the whole situation in perspective, the link is at the bottom of this page.

I have focused on the McNabb comments because in all the uproar and with all the accusations of racism that have been hurled at Mr. Limbaugh I have not been able to uncover one shred of evidence (and not for a lack of effort) that Rush ever said any of the other so called racially insensitive things that he has been reported to have said. I have however found a lengthy list of quasi apologies and retractions from numerous media outlets, stating basically that earlier reports of racist remarks attributed to Mr. Limbaugh could not be verified. One of the sources for an MSNBC story was none other than our own James Farrior. Apparently Farrior had heard that the comment "slavery had it's merits" was attributed to Rush and based upon that misinformation told MSNBC that someone who said such a thing should not have the privilege of owning an NFL franchise. The only problem with that remark seems to be that Rush Limbaugh never actually said it, as would seem to be the case with the many other comments that he has supposedly said. Comments which form the basis for the public outcry that he should not be allowed into the already all white club of NFL ownership.

I have listened to Rush off and on throughout the years that he has been broadcasting and can say from my own experience that while his rhetoric is definitely provocative and his perspective intensely conservative, I have never once heard him utter a comment that could be considered racist by anyone other than the likes of Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton. By the way, wasn't Sharpton the one who made the hymietown reference, and didn't Jesse Jackson recently say that Obama should have his n*ts cut off? While Jackson would like to castrate our president with whom he happens to share a particular genetic trait, Rush has many friends of African American heritage who have come to his defense. Thursday Ken Hutcherson, a former linebacker for the Cowboys who is a now a minister called Rush's show to offer his support. Ken is one of Rush's fishing buddies and just happens to be black. Common sense would tell me that racists don't typically go fishing with folks of the opposite shade, but hey, what do I know. According to the left-wing media I myself am a racist because I, like Rush, do not support the policies of our sitting president.

I was a wide receiver in high school, I had great hands. On the other side of the field was my buddy Carlson who couldn't catch a cold. Carlson was black and ran like the wind, was it because he was black? I don't know, ask Jimmy the Greek. I on the other hand could never get open. To say the least we had a rough time moving the ball through the air. What we never had was a difficult time in the locker room. Race was never an issue, as I assume it is not in the NFL. You can't live with someone six months out of the year, work together, room together, win, lose and shower together with another man for very long before you realise he is just like you.

The sad fact about this latest incident isn't that a knowledgeable fan of the game with the resources, acumen and desire to perhaps make an impact on a team that is currently down on it's luck has been denied that priviledge, though that is part of it. The real downside is that an industry which has led by example on the issue of racial diversity and shown us all how people of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds can come together to achieve great things has allowed itself to be dragged into the mud of race baiting and political correctness. And truth be told, when one bothers to examine the facts rather than base their opinions on here-say, this was never about whether or not a racist or one who has made racially insensitive remarks should be afforded the priviledge to own an NFL franchise, because as a little investigation will show he never made such remarks to begin with, it was always about politics. Unfortunately many good and decent men have let themselves get caught up in this mess because they trusted a few who are purported to be leaders in their communities and trusted the media outlets that irresponsibly reported their ill intentioned falsehoods.

The real offenders here are the likes of Jackson and Sharpton and their ilk who make their living off of other peoples suffering and cannot let the issue of race in America die because without it they would be out of a job. For most of us race is not the issue, or any issue at all. With each passing generation and thanks in great part to athletics, the forward thinking of men such as Dan Rooney and the courage of great men such as Jackie Robinson, the issue of race in America is becoming a thing of the past. My daughter is about to marry a black man, my granddaughter is half black, all of my children are mostly color blind, my grandchildren will undoubtedly be completely so. I myself have grown due to my involvement in athletics and the exposure to other cultures that it has given me.

In closing, it is my sincere desire and hope that some of those who allowed themselves to be caught up in this pathetic and unfortunately successful attempt to defame and disenfranchise someone simply because he holds a diverse political viewpoint from their own would step back, examine the facts and consider the possibility that they have been used, ask themselves the hard questions about how and why, and make certain that they are not pawns in some future political game. When we allow ourselves to be deceived and embroiled in turmoils such as these our society suffers, our great game suffers and in the end we not only lose much of the wonderful progress that we have made but our freedoms as well, freedoms that have given us all the ability to not only live together in peace and brotherhood but occasionally, victory.

http://www.slate.com/id/2089193/ article from 2003 by Allen Barra, noted freelance sports journalist and author

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