Wednesday
Oct142009
Limbaugh Has "Zero" Chance Of Owning NFL Team, Says Media Matters Official
By Ravi Bhatia, Talk Radio News Service
Senior Fellow for Media Matters Eric Boehlert said that Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk show radio host, has virtually no chance of the National Football League accepting his bid to purchase the St. Louis Rams, citing the league’s efforts to avoid controversy and Limbaugh’s “incredibly long track record” of “hateful, inflammatory rhetoric about African-Americans.”
“The comments this week from the commissioner, some of the owners, the players, the union reps... make it pretty clear that Limbaugh’s chances are basically zero at this point,” Boehlert said.
In 2003, Limbaugh tendered his resignation from ESPN’S Sunday NFL Countdown pregame show for saying NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb was not as the good as the media made him seem. “The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well,” he said in the pre-game show.
“Every couple of years [Limbaugh] sort of ventures out of his protective right-wing radio bubble into the mainstream culture, and the reaction is immediate and unambiguous,” Boehlert said. “Mainstream pop culture, in this case sports, does not want anything to do with Rush Limbaugh.”
Boehlert added that he was unsure if politics and sports can co-exist.
“Having an owner who spends his day talking about the president as a communist or a racist or hates white people ... doesn’t go over well in a professional sports community,” he said. “Larger sports culture ... has no patience whatsoever with mixing politics and sports. Sports fans don’t want anything to do with politics, they want to leave that stuff outside.”
Senior Fellow for Media Matters Eric Boehlert said that Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk show radio host, has virtually no chance of the National Football League accepting his bid to purchase the St. Louis Rams, citing the league’s efforts to avoid controversy and Limbaugh’s “incredibly long track record” of “hateful, inflammatory rhetoric about African-Americans.”
“The comments this week from the commissioner, some of the owners, the players, the union reps... make it pretty clear that Limbaugh’s chances are basically zero at this point,” Boehlert said.
In 2003, Limbaugh tendered his resignation from ESPN’S Sunday NFL Countdown pregame show for saying NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb was not as the good as the media made him seem. “The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well,” he said in the pre-game show.
“Every couple of years [Limbaugh] sort of ventures out of his protective right-wing radio bubble into the mainstream culture, and the reaction is immediate and unambiguous,” Boehlert said. “Mainstream pop culture, in this case sports, does not want anything to do with Rush Limbaugh.”
Boehlert added that he was unsure if politics and sports can co-exist.
“Having an owner who spends his day talking about the president as a communist or a racist or hates white people ... doesn’t go over well in a professional sports community,” he said. “Larger sports culture ... has no patience whatsoever with mixing politics and sports. Sports fans don’t want anything to do with politics, they want to leave that stuff outside.”
tagged 
Eric Boehlert, Football, NFL, Ravi Bhatia, Rush Limbaugh, St. Louis Rams, politics in News/Commentary, Sports
Eric Boehlert, Football, NFL, Ravi Bhatia, Rush Limbaugh, St. Louis Rams, politics in News/Commentary, Sports
Reader Comments (8)
I've listened to Rush Limbaugh for years. He is controversial and bombastic, but I have never heard him say anything hateful about African Americans. The quote about McNabb is NOT racist. It is critical of the news media. There are people in America who are prejudiced against blacks, of course. But there are also folks, e.g. in the news media, out of good intentions or guilt tend over-compensate with regard to minorites. That was not an outrageous statement Limbaugh made.
Rush Limbaugh is a loud voice for the conservative side, and is openly critical of liberals and the media. But give me some specific examples where he has preached "hateful, inflammatory rhetoric about African Americans," or anyone. Criticism and even mockery of the left does not equate hatred.
It is scary how far the PC crowd can go to censor and punish those exercising reasonable free speech. What a bunch of hypocrites!
In response to R. Finney
Hey Finney how about Obama the magic negro, i know Rush wrote that little song. are you going to tell me using race in a song is not racist, to criticize someone is one thing i have no problem with but to bring color in to it makes it hateful, the color of someone's skin has nothing to do with who they are as a person. and BTW you sound like Rush himself spewing out that crap
The NFL's sports "culture"? Let me see...is this the same culture that allows convicted felon/dog killer Michael Vick back into the league and pays him 1.5 MILLION dollars for one season?
I believe Rush Limbaugh could actually help the image of an organization with such a "culture"!
The only "culture" in the NFL is the culture of making as much MONEY as possible-and Rush can help that goal.
To all of those righteous protectors of the NFL "culture"-get a life! (and take Rush's hard earned, non-stimulus, non-taxpayer dollars!)
Russell wickizer
New Orleans, Louisiana
to d. Botsford:
You are right, Rush did write that song. He wrote it, however, based on the L.A. Times front page article with that title. He also references the title, the newspaper and the satire he is making in the song. I have not reviewed everything Rush has ever said (or sung) so there may be good evidence out there that he is a racist. What I know is that your offering is not one of the better arguements.
Cheers!
A-
To d. Botsford:
Rush did not write that song, it came from his parodies that Paul Shanklen does for him. The "Magic Negro" reference came from the L.A. Times article that Rush talked about. Mr. Shanklen has been doing these musical parodies for years for Rush's show and they are hysterical. The problems with libs is that they only read the HEADLINES and never investigate the truth. You can find Paul Shanklen on line. He is a conservative that does political musical parodies of the left...Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, Bill Clinton, etc. So why don't you get your facts straight before you say anything. He has added Obama in his list and Sharpton and Jackson are in there too!
A correction...Paul Shanklin...I hope he appreciates this capitalistic plug...and by the way, he goes way back...this is not a new thing for Rush to use him...and personally, I'm glad Rush isn't part of the NFL... why he would want to put his money in that racist liberal organization, I don't know...he's doesn't watch college football, so now maybe he will...much better than the NFL...the Raiders, need I say more?
Hey Botsford It's amazing how quick people are to criticize Rush based on what a third party or source has said. if you are going to bash him and call him a racist, you might try listening to him for yourself first.
This whole thing makes me sick. A man has been denied investing in a business because Al Sharpton and other bigots have blocked him from doing so. Think about it. Is that what America is about?
As liberal as I am, I would agree that Limbaugh should not have been forced out just because of his sometimes outrageous right-wing bombast. But for those who deny that the guy has made racist comments, I would like to offer one more example that is not second hand. I heard him say it, or should I say sing it, back in the 90s.
Remember Carol Mosely Braun--former Illinois U.S. Senator? I listened as Limbaugh derisively mentioned her name and then broke into a chorus of the following: "Well we movin' on up..." Most of you remember that line as the theme from "The Jeffersons," the show about a black family that became wealthy and moved into an expensive high-rise NY apartment. Braun is a black woman.
And you don't think her race had anything to do with Limbaugh's little musical shot? Wake up, wingnuts! What goes around comes around.