NFL Should Punt Rush Limbaugh's Ownership Bid

[Blue_Tires]

Six years ago, ESPN's NFL Countdown crew sat silent as a new addition to its show, the bombastic right-wing commentator Rush Limbaugh, suggested Eagles black quarterback Donovan McNabb was overrated by a sports media concerned about looking politically correct. ESPN pulled the plug on Limbaugh a few days later and the Countdown crew the next weekend apologized for having abdicated its responsibility to address Limbaugh's outrageousness.

On Tuesday, it was reported that Limbaugh was part of St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts' group that wants to buy the city's NFL team, the Rams. I can't sit idly by like the Countdown crew did so regrettably.

The NFL indirectly dismissed Limbaugh before. It shouldn't accept him back unless he wants to buy a ticket. After all, this is a man who said:

-- Of President Obama: "Adolf Hitler, like Barack Obama, ruled by dictate."

-- Of Michael J. Fox's struggle with Parkinson's disease: "He is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act... This is really shameless of Michael J Fox."

-- Of a black caller to his radio show: "Take that bone out of your nose and call me back."

-- Of the NAACP: "The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies."

http://kevin-blackistone.fanhouse.com/2009/10/07/nfl-should-punt-rush-limbaughs-ownership-bid/#

[liberal N proud]

1. Better chance they will embrace it

People like Limbaugh who own teams and pay huge sums of money are exactly why I no longer follow pro sports.


Sports are pacifying America!

[Pirate Smile]

2. This is good and was in the St Louis paper today : NFL should think twice on Rush Limbaugh

NFL should think twice on Rush Limbaugh

Sports Columnist Bryan Burwell
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
10/07/2009

Rush Limbaugh wants to own the St. Louis Rams. Well, good for him. His money is green and plentiful and his politics are conservative, which means he'll pretty much fit right in with the rest of the gang within the NFL ownership's corridors of power.

They probably don't care about his politics. In fact, if you checked most of their campaign contributions, you'd find that most of them probably are staunch supporters of the guy who has been called "the unofficial voice of the Republican Party." With a wink and a smile, they will surely welcome him to their club, because ultimately all they care about is whether or not his check will bounce, and we all know that's highly unlikely.

They will all look the other way when it comes to Limbaugh — forgetting his polarizing racial politics, conveniently ignoring (perhaps even quietly agreeing with) all the mean-spirited divisive bile that comes along with his ample financial clout — just like many of you surely will, too. They will look the other way because of his wealth and influence. You will look the other way because to some of you, he is your politically incorrect hero, and the rest might be willing to ignore all of that just as long as he can put enough money on the table to help keep your football team in St. Louis.

I don't have that luxury.
Though I think it is his right to take a shot at becoming part of a new Rams ownership group, Limbaugh's American Dream is a potential nightmare waiting to happen for the Rams, the city and the National Football League.

"Look, let me put it to you this way: The NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it."

Those are Limbaugh's words. So are these:

"I mean, let's face it, we didn't have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: Slavery built the South. I'm not saying we should bring it back. I'm just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark."

I know how those words play out in Idiot America. They are embraced as gospel. But inside the locker rooms of the NFL, where the overwhelming majority of the players are descendants of slaves, Limbaugh's ignorant ramblings resonate with entirely different emotions.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/columnists.nsf/bryanburwell/story/E196145D80764B2F86257648000EF26B?OpenDocument

[Blue_Tires]

5. thanks for this....

[Faygo Kid]

3. He won't get it. The billionaires can buy and sell him; they are ultra right wingers, but. . .

. . . they aren't stupid enough to let Rush in, who is poor compared to them, and who is "into" owning black players. They didn't get to be multi-billionaires by letting the likes of that uneducated idiot into the club. They know he wouldn't last two weeks without talking about owning black players, and loving it.

Ain't gonna happen.

[Rincewind]

4. A rightwingers dream

Rush just wants to be able to buy, sell, and trade black people.

[Tutankhamun]

6. Having Limbaugh as an owner would badly damage the team's image.

A lot of fans would jump ship, players would ask to be traded or ask not to be traded to the Rams. Rush Limbauh would also be a huge distraction for the team. Imagine you are an athlete who fans love on a team that you love playing for, but now your team is getting booed and criticized in the media constantly. Everyone suddenly seems to hate the team now, and why? Because some fat racist windbag makes money if the Rams win.

And who would want to coach for Rush Limbaugh? A lot of talented people would want nothing to do with the entire organization.

[Blue_Tires]

7. friday kick

[rpannier]

8. The NFL won't allow him to be part of any ownership group

They are very image/PR conscious and are unlikely to allow someone who regularly makes a divisive ass out of himself into the mix.

[Blue_Tires]

9. +1

and i think that's the ultimate point...Owner's groups (especially NFL and MLB) are very closed and they have a long history of not letting anyone in they think will cost them $$$$ or credibility in the long run...Hell, they have a long history of closing out legit potential owners on the slightest of circumstances...

[bertman]

10. On the other hand, if Limbaugh were allowed to buy the team and no black players

would consent to play for him, it would be interesting to see how well the NFL's first all-white team since the 50's would fare against the mostly black teams of today.

Might be a good lesson for the gaseous airbag and his ill-gotten fortune.