Rush to Judgment

This is a different type of topic than my normal posts. The topic I want to talk about today is a mix of sports and politics. Unless you’ve been hiding under rock the past few days you’ve probably heard about Rush Limbaugh’s interest in buying the St. Louis Rams. That of course ended yesterday as it was announced that Rush Limbaugh was dropped from the group of bidders. The reason? Rush Limbaugh has said some “divisive” things over the years. Let’s be honest here. He is being blackballed by the media, NFL players union, and other entities for his Donavan McNabb comments on ESPN many years ago. He said that McNabb was being overrated by the media because they want so badly for a black QB to succeed in this league.

Before I go any further, I would like to say I don’t really care for Rush Limbaugh. I rarely agree with most of the things he says and the way he says them. I’m not a fan of his style of “shock” radio. But just because I don’t agree with him it doesn’t mean I think what they are doing is fair.

Back when Rush made his comment, though insensitive and not politically correct, it was pretty close to the truth. Rush’s critical comments were meant as a slap in the face to the media and not necessarily geared towards McNabb.

Look back at McNabb’s history. Every other year the Eagles’ fan base has been trying to run this guy out of town. Back when Rush made his comments it was true that McNabb was being overrated. Since then McNabb has risen to his status of being labeled as an elite type QB. He no longer is overrated. In fact he’s actually underappreciated.

Rush could have worded it better but that’s not his style. He has made tons of money by being controversial and saying provocative things. That doesn’t make him a racist, as some are claiming. Not everything said and done is about racism. How are we ever going to move on from race if we keep using the race card as a weapon? I wish we could just all say that we are Americans. Not African Americans. Not Indian Americans. Not Mexican Americans and so forth. We are ALL Americans and we should stop labeling ourselves any different. Only then will we really move on past all this race stuff.

My point is that Rush should be given a fair chance to buy a team. His bid should be considered on business and not his opinions. There are many rappers/singers and controversial figures who own stake in professional teams throughout the sports world. In their songs they say and do things that could be labeled as “divisive” but it’s accepted because our society accepts it. They are in tabloids and involved in sex scandals and fights and on and on. Again, those things are accepted by the society we live in.

The NFL could have avoided all this stuff by just passing on the bid in a professional manor. They could have said they had a stronger offer and avoided all this nonsense. The players union made things worse by coming out against Limbaugh the way they did. And don’t get me started on Rev Al Sharpton, who also got in on the act. This guy has made a career of keeping people from moving on from racial issues. I say beware the profit seeking profit.

Rush Limbaugh is being attacked for his political beliefs and we shouldn’t attack people just because we don’t agree with them. Most of us have friends who we disagree with on religion and politics. That shouldn’t stand in the way of friendships or the way we do business. In the words of President Obama, "This is a teachable moment."