Hitting an all time low.
Hadn't noticed this aspect of the Rush Limbaugh/ESPN story before. From Limbaugh Resigns Over Comments on McNabb at Yahoo! News:
[Donovan] McNabb said someone on the show should have taken on Limbaugh. Among the other panelists are former players Michael Irvin and Tom Jackson, both of whom are black."I'm not pointing at anyone but someone should have said it," McNabb said of the panelists, who also include former quarterback Steve Young "I wouldn't have cared if it was the cameraman."
Limbaugh was scheduled to be in Philadelphia on Thursday to speak at a broadcast convention. McNabb said he wouldn't be welcome at the Eagles' practice.
"I really don't want to see him," McNabb said. "You can say you're sorry all you want, it doesn't matter. It's been said."
S'funny, I don't remember seeing any of the various right-wing pundits who've opined on this taking McNabb's thoughts on the matter under consideration. Perhaps I missed it, in the storm over the other Limbaugh scandal. From WhiteHouse.org:
"When Rush correctly observed that some lousy quarterback gets a free ride just for being a Philadelphia porch monkey, that didn't mean Rush is prejudiced. I mean, get a grip folks, the man was just fucked up on a fistful of hillbilly heroin his Spick-o-rickan maid was force-feeding him!"
Don't miss the quotes at the bottom of the article from Genuine Negroes® (accept no substitutes!) like Marion Barry, Darryl Strawberry and. . . Noelle Bush?
All this from an industry full of genuine negroes that actively supports the Washington Redskins. Tsk tsk.
I wonder sometimes about the various groups that appear to jump and react at neagtive stimuli from conservative white dudes. Just because they arent' saying you are a Philadelphia porch monkey doesnt' mean they arent' thinking - and if they are thinking it (and they are to be sure), then doesn't that make the disease present regardless of the symptoms absence?
In short-gettin uppity about team mascots and opinionated commentators ain't really gunna make no ones life better... or am i just nuts.
doh'oh... I forget about my wild speculatory statement about the media wanting to see a black quarterback succeed and whtie guilt.
Ok, there it is.
The other White guilt - like pork.
I don't believe "gettin uppity" will necessarily change a lot of things in this situation - or maybe it will. But I do feel that "conservative white dudes" get more than their say at the mic. Puff, puff, pass.
Perhaps a period of uber-reaction will help tip the scales?
I think it's a safe bet to say that I'm the only one around here who is a serious football fan. That being said I watched yesterday's NFL Countdown and heard both Tom Jackson and Michael Irvin's responses to the situation. It was clear that none of the four panelists on the show wanted Limbaugh there in the first place and that when Limbaugh said his bit last week, Jackson in particular was just trying to do his job which is talk about football. Maybe he should've jumped on Limbaugh more and in retrospect it appears that he wishes he had. However, I respect him for taking the high road because he was doing what he was there to do and what Limbaugh was supposedly there to do, which is talk about football.
The four panelist on the show do a great job every week and I missed being able to watch them this year because I boycotted the show because of Limbaugh. I'm glad that I can watch it again and I hope that ESPN has learned a lesson. They probably haven't but I hope they have.
Beyond that is there anybody on the face of the planet that is surprised that Limbaugh said anything like this? Seriously. And beyond even that Limbaugh just proved what an idiot he is by talking shit about something he obviously knows nothing about. Because if he knew anything about it he would have talked about how unfair it is that Steve McNair of my beloved Titans is completely under-appreciated and un-hyped by the media when he is in fact one of the absolute best quarterbacks in the league.
Fuck Rush Limbaugh, thank god he is gone because seriously he was putting a damper on my football season and really that's the most important issue here right? Right? OK fine, I suck.
i don't think of bowie lyrics when i think of rush...maybe something from 'dark side of the moon'... 'money', 'us and them', 'the lunatics are in the hall' etc. etc. in fact, that album is like the soundtrack to his whole life. you can just picture sitting there in college on his special pillow, trying not to feel guilty about dodging the draft bullet, tokin' up and listening to that record on the big headphones...
we're going to need a new punching bag when he's gone, you know.
Except Rush isn't going anywhere.
And I am a serious football fan too. I just don't have cable.
I usually stick with Fox's NFL show (mostly because they are having fun and aren't taking football too seriously which NFL countdown sometimes does) but I watched Countdown on Sunday.
Tom Jackson was the standout. He was most struck by what had happened and, when watching the tape of what transpired with Rush, he still did a good job of dealing with the comments by noting that McNabb is a two-time pro-bowler and had spent the past two years leading his team to near championship level.
Which, I think for him and Steve Young, may have been enough of a reaction. It invalidates Rush's opinion and invalidates his desire to put race on the table in this way. Chris Berman as host should probably have done more to deal with it and I think his reaction on Sunday was what was necessary.
But here's the problem with all of this. The consensus response seems to be that "race should have never been part of the equation." That's not right. Race is a part of the equation. If Rush had done some actual research and had a real point other than riling people up then it would hold merit. The question of how the media treats black athletes or how we perceive black quarterbacks is valid.
It's the way he went about it that isn't.