During NBC’s coverage of the Beijing Olympics,  Cris Collinsworth (above, right) quizzed Kobe Bryant on the matter of the latter’s patriotism (“our country is, we believe, the greatest country in the world”), and followed with a fairly innocuous question (“is that a cool thing to say in this day and age, that you love your country and that you’re fighting for the red, white, and blue?”).  Cue grudge-holding Rush Limbaugh, who seems to consider the Bengal-turned-broadcaster part of some pinko cabal.

I don’t want to cause any harm or damage here to Cris Collinsworth. I really don’t, ’cause aside from his going overboard week after week after week on the Donovan McNabb event regarding my comments on ESPN, he’s generally been a pretty down-the-middle conservative guy.  Yet, something has to inform his question here: “Is it a cool thing to say in this day and age  that you love your country and you’re fighting for the red, white, and blue?”  Cris, what parties are you going to?  Who are you hanging out with? This is sad.  Who are you hanging out with? Where has Collinsworth got any idea here that it’s uncool to espouse your patriotism?  No, he’s not. (interruption)  He does not deal with the NBA, Snerdley.

He’s in the NFL.  He does the NFL. Now, he does hang around with Bob Costas and some of these other libs at NBC, but before that, he was with Fox, and they’re not a bunch of libs over there. I mean, some of them at the Fox network are, but where did it happen?  Do any of you feel it is something you have to whisper, that you love your country?  I didn’t know we’d gotten to this point where you don’t really admit red, white, and blue are for you. Something had to inform this question, and it’s media, media buddies and people you’re hanging out with.  By the way, I hate to say this, but that’s something that Obama would say. 

Hands up, everyone who believes Non-Metallic K.O. is giving Collinsworth lessons in how to undermine the blissful patriotic vibes eminating from the U.S.’s olympic accomplishments.  It’s hard to determine which scenario is more fucked up, Limbaugh portraying Kobe as a philosophical ally, or that Collinsworth had any intent besides throwing Bryant a big fat one right down the middle of the plate.