NEW YORK - Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh resigned from ESPN on Wednesday night, three days after saying Philadelphia Eagles (news) quarterback Donovan McNabb (news) is overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback succeed.
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Before McNabb led the Eagles to a 23-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills (news) on Sunday, Limbaugh said on ESPN's pregame show that he didn't think McNabb was as good as perceived from the start.
"I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well," Limbaugh said on "Sunday NFL Countdown."
How ironic that I was driving home listening to TMBG's Flood today thinking about this.
quote:Out from the kitchen to the bedroom to the hallway Your friend apologizes, he could see it my way He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking Can�t shake the devil�s hand and say you�re only kidding
This is where the party ends I can�t stand here listening to you And your racist friend I know politics bore you But I feel like a hypocrite talking to you And your racist friend
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
We all know Rush Limbaugh is a big, fat idiot. Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
The big question in my mind is, why would ESPN hire Limbaugh as a commentator in the first place. He's not exactly non-biased, compared to other commentators.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
and he's overweight too....
I never did like him....
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Um... Limbaugh's statement did not imply racism on his part, as you seem to believe. He effectively said that he believed that various elements of the media were racist, which is a completely different statement. Mind you, I have no interest in the quarterback himself or any of the media reaction to him, nor in Limbaugh's relation to any of this. Just pointing out what he actually said.
Posted by The359 (Member # 37) on :
When did ESPN hire Rush Limbaugh?
Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
What he basicly said is that McNabb is not so good and the only reason he got to the place where he's at is that he's had helping hands from the NFL and the media and he got those helping hands because he's black. Not because of talent, but because he's black.
That's not quite the creampuff statement you want to make it out to be Omega.
quote:Rush Limbaugh says that if you believe Donovan McNabb is a really good quarterback, it isn't because he is a really good quarterback. It's because you have a secret desire to see a black quarterback succeed in the NFL.
What he basicly said is that McNabb is not so good and the only reason he got to the place where he's at is that he's had helping hands from the NFL and the media and he got those helping hands because he's black. Not because of talent, but because he's black.
Which is not a statement of racism on Limbaugh's part. You might claim that he knows nothing of football because McNabb is indeed a good player, but Limbaugh is at worst paranoid, seeing racists where there are none. There is no way his statement can be interpreted as thinking of black people as somehow inferior unless you believe Limbaugh already thinks that.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
quote:Originally posted by Omega: There is no way his statement can be interpreted as thinking of black people as somehow inferior unless you believe Limbaugh already thinks that.
Which they do believe. Because they have to, or they'll take away their Liberal membership cards. Opponents are always racist, sexist, fascist, or whatever other label you can pin on them. The severity of the accusation is always more important than the truth of it.
Only liberals are allowed to bring race into any issue. When liberals mention race it is always a symbol and indication of their undying love for and devotion to all who cannot claim whiteness. When conservatives bring race to the table it is always because they are closet racists and just want to keep their boots on the black man's neck.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Oddly enough, if that player has said some white player was in place because of his color there'd be a rally supporting the statment.
It's a double standard but on the other hand, Limbaugh's been a shrewd media manipulator for years so this comment was just dumb.
It's also been noted that Limbaugh's knowledge of sports and sports facts is at best lackng. WTF was he doing there anyway?!?
Posted by Jay the Obscure (Member # 19) on :
quote:...unless you believe Limbaugh already thinks that.
Unfortunatly for El Rushbo, he's already made statements that lead me to believe that he is a bigot.
quote:As a young broadcaster in the 1970s, Limbaugh once told a black caller: "Take that bone out of your nose and call me back." A decade ago, after becoming nationally syndicated, he mused on the air: "Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?"
In 1992, on his now-defunct TV show, Limbaugh expressed his ire when Spike Lee urged that black schoolchildren get off from school to see his film Malcolm X: "Spike, if you're going to do that, let's complete the education experience. You should tell them that they should loot the theater, and then blow it up on their way out."
In a similar vein, here is Limbaugh's mocking take on the NAACP, a group with a ninety-year commitment to nonviolence: "The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies."
But Omega, you're probably right. Whereas these particular comments were racially insensitive, and I do tend to think that they came from that very large bigoted placed inside Mr. Limbaugh, this specific comments may not rise to the level of racism.
But, the comment also tells me that Mr. Limbaugh doesn't know didily squat about matters of race in America.
quote:Opponents are always racist, sexist, fascist, or whatever other label you can pin on them.
Gee, Captain Can't-Remember-Recent-Events, just like conservatives as regards the former Miguel Estrada nomination?
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
I just think he's an ass, for being a rude fuck on the radio from when my platoon sergeant listened to him in the early 90's....
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"Which they do believe. Because they have to, or they'll take away their Liberal membership cards. Opponents are always racist, sexist, fascist, or whatever other label you can pin on them. The severity of the accusation is always more important than the truth of it.
"Only liberals are allowed to bring race into any issue. When liberals mention race it is always a symbol and indication of their undying love for and devotion to all who cannot claim whiteness. When conservatives bring race to the table it is always because they are closet racists and just want to keep their boots on the black man's neck."
And conservatives like to have gay butt-sex.
Not that it's true, but, if that's the kind of discussion we're having...
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
I bet that McNabb is not the only good black quarterback in the NFL.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
Michael Vick is the best quarterback in the NFL.
Posted by Malnurtured Snay (Member # 411) on :
Rush Limbaugh is a hipocrite.
I'm not talking about this. I'm talking about his alledged pharmacutical drug-abuse which caused his hearing loss a few years ago. This is the same guy who raked Olympia Dukakis across the coals for being an alcoholic, and always urges tough sentences for drug users and abusers. And of course, when asked about the investigation, he say "I'll cooperate fully" - bullshit, Rush, if you're the "conscience of the right", why don't you fucking lead by example?
I hope those implants he has so that he can hear fail. Deafness would be getting off light.
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
Touchy, touchy.
Sounds like someone's been listening to another smear campaign.
quote:Mr. Limbaugh�s treating physicians at the House Ear Clinic, announced that his rapid-onset hearing loss is a result of autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED).
quote:Several reporters mentioned other causes of hearing loss, such as overuse of medications or over-exposure to high levels of sound through earphones used during radio broadcasts, and asked if any of these had caused Rush Limbaugh�s hearing loss. His physicians explained that overuse of medications is not a factor in Mr. Limbaugh�s case
Slate Has some interesting things to say about Rush's comments. Mainly, that they're right.
quote:Let's take the football stuff first. For the past four seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles have had one of the best defenses in the National Football League and have failed to make it to the Super Bowl primarily because of an ineffective offense�an offense run by Donovan McNabb. McNabb was a great college quarterback, in my estimation one of the best of the '90s while at Syracuse. (For the record, I helped persuade ESPN Magazine, then called ESPN Total Sports, to put him on the cover of the 1998 college-football preview issue.) He is one of the most talented athletes in the NFL, but that talent has not translated into greatness as a pro quarterback.
McNabb has started for the Eagles since the 2000 season. In that time, the Eagles offense has never ranked higher than 10th in the league in yards gained. In fact, their 10th-place rank in 2002 was easily their best; in their two previous seasons, they were 17th in a 32-team league. They rank 31st so far in 2003.
In contrast, the Eagles defense in those four seasons has never ranked lower than 10th in yards allowed. In 2001, they were seventh; in 2002 they were fourth; this year they're fifth. It shouldn't take a football Einstein to see that the Eagles' strength over the past few seasons has been on defense, and Limbaugh is no football Einstein, which is probably why he spotted it.
The news that the Eagles defense has "carried" them over this period should be neither surprising nor controversial to anyone with access to simple NFL statistics�or for that matter, with access to a television. Yet, McNabb has received an overwhelming share of media attention and thus the credit. Now why is this?
Let's look at a quarterback with similar numbers who also plays for a team with a great defense. I don't know anyone who would call Brad Johnson one of the best quarterbacks in pro football�which is how McNabb is often referred to. In fact, I don't know anyone who would call Brad Johnson, on the evidence of his 10-year NFL career, much more than mediocre. Yet, Johnson's NFL career passer rating, as of last Sunday, is 7.3 points higher than McNabb's (84.8 to 77.5), he has completed his passes at a higher rate (61.8 percent to 56.4 percent), and has averaged significantly more yards per pass (6.84 to 5.91). McNabb excels in just one area, running, where he has gained 2,040 yards and scored 14 touchdowns to Johnson's 467 and seven. But McNabb has also been sacked more frequently than Johnson�more than once, on average, per game, which negates much of the rushing advantage.
In other words, in just about every way, Brad Johnson has been a more effective quarterback than McNabb and over a longer period.
And even if you say the stats don't matter and that a quarterback's job is to win games, Johnson comes out ahead. Johnson has something McNabb doesn't, a Super Bowl ring, which he went on to win after his Bucs trounced McNabb's Eagles in last year's NFC championship game by a score of 27-10. The Bucs and Eagles were regarded by everyone as having the two best defenses in the NFL last year. When they played in the championship game, the difference was that the Bucs defense completely bottled up McNabb while the Eagles defense couldn't stop Johnson.
In terms of performance, many NFL quarterbacks should be ranked ahead of McNabb. But McNabb has represented something special to all of us since he started his first game in the NFL, and we all know what that is.
Limbaugh is being excoriated for making race an issue in the NFL. This is hypocrisy. I don't know of a football writer who didn't regard the dearth of black NFL quarterbacks as one of the most important issues in the late '80s and early '90s. (The topic really caught fire after 1988, when Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins became the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl.)
Posted by Saltah'na (Member # 33) on :
1) Any other black quarterbacks like McNabb?
2) I still want to know why ESPN hired him in the first place. This drops their credibility a bit.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
1) Michael Vick is the best quarterback in the NFL.
Posted by Ritten (Member # 417) on :
ESPN is competing with FOX....
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Forgive me for being unknowedgable about your silly made-up-because-we-suck-at-real-sports version of Football, but, er, are there a lack of black players generally?
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
I believe there's just a lack of black quarterbacks. There are plenty of black players in general.
And, if you don't know, the quarterback is the offensive player who gets the ball at the beginning of each play and who is supposed to throw it to someone downfield (or run with it himself if he has to).
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
Pittsburgh had (has?) a black quarterback, Cordell Stewart.
Whether he was overrated or not, I don't know. I recall not too many people were pleased with his performance. OTOH, some were, and said he was underrated.
The last comments I heard about him (during this brouhaha) suggested that one of his biggest problems was that he listened to armchair quarterbacks' opinions of them, and took them seriously.
Posted by Ultra Magnus (Member # 239) on :
One of his biggest problems was that he couldn't keep the cocaine out of his nose.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Well that's really hard when youre rich (so it seems anyway).
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