Though former MSG chief Dave Checketts announced earlier today Rush Limbaugh would no longer be part of the former’s group attempting to purchase the NFL’s St. Louis Rams, Sports On My Mind’s MODI notes the recent denounciation of Limbaugh by the Giants’ Mathias Kiwanuka and wonders, “where do ‘white people’ stand on this?” Well, ESPN’s Colin Cowherd went on record Tuesday morning, comparing Limbaugh’s case to that of Michael Vick (ie. why should one guy get a second chance and another be villifed?) and suggeste in all seriousness that objections to Limbaugh’s proposed purchase were an attempt to stifle free speech. As such, wouldn’t it be great if noted social commentator Brett Favre was asked to weigh in?
There is simply no greater social standing in sports than the great white quarterback, and Donovan McNabb can only nail two of the three criteria. So the question becomes:
What does Brett Favre think?
Favre™s voice could have a social impact like no other sports figure. He is football™s most iconic active player, and is also a country-boy born and raised in Mississippi “ a state whose ugly racial history is well-documented. Would Favre use his voice to œreduce the hate at a time where mass racial hatred is as publicly visible as any time since the 1960s? Or would he be more concerned that œracists buy Wranglers too?
What does Tom Brady think?
As a member of the Republican Party, he is in a prime position to throw his greatest pass. By denouncing Limbaugh™s ownership bid, Brady can prove that Rush does not own him ” unlike the congressman in his party. Brady can make an incredibly powerful statement that racism and Republicanism do not have to share the same bed, and that hatred and bigotry should never be reduced to a œpolitical issue alongside alternate viewpoints on deficit reduction or campaign finance reform.
What does Kurt Warner think?
Warner “ who once led the St. Louis Cardinals to its only Super Bowl “ is also a well-known devout Christian committed to spreading the principles. Does Rush Limbaugh reflect those principles? Warner™s words could send a much-needed message to fellow Christians that Limbaugh™s racism is an anti- Christian perversion of his religion.
Limbaugh’s whining about all this today was his usual bunker mentality thinking that an evil cabal of powerful liberals ruined his chances because he’s a conservative:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091014/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn_rams_limbaugh
the reality is, most team owners share his politics, just not his openly racist attitudes towards African-Americans. it’s amazing that a guy of his wealth, celebrity, and political influence can actually perceive himself as the victim in any given situation. after eight years of Bush, massive ratings and revenue for his own show, FOX News, and bestselling books for Coulter, Glenn Beck, and Hannity, Limbaugh still claims he’s not allowed into mainstream America. It’s Limbaugh trying to fend off anyone who isn’t like him from mainstream America that got him ousted from this deal.
I think there’s an important semantic difference here between “perceive” and “claim,” which is how I’d term it. Because you’re exactly right in calling it a bunker mentality but it just happens to be a bunker that can accommodate tens of millions. The idea of looming persecution (the radicals/internationalists/enemies of freedom are all around us) is the rhetorical foundation of all the names you mention. I just don’t think that that idea is rooted in reality (“perceive”) so much as it is a tried and true formula (“claim”).
I have to admit to being somewhat surprised at how big a story this is because the NFL – and football in general – has always seemed like such a right-leaning game (hey there, Mr. Tebow). Although I have to give Robert Irsay credit for putting his mouth where is money is: turns out he and his family are actually fairly big Democratic donors..
the irony of this is that limbaugh was shut down by his beloved “private sector.” the nfl, a business built on creating the biggest audience it can, has no use for his divisiveness, and the marketplace shut him down.