Is it really surprising when a high school dropout isn’t hired for a job at NASA? Is anyone shocked when a drug addict tries to find a job as a summer camp counselor and is turned away? There are certain people who just don’t fit in certain positions. Why would it surprise anyone when a man who has said derogatory things about African Americans gets grief when he trys to become part of an NFL ownership group? This is the situation that conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh and a group of prospective St. Louis Ram’s buyers found themselves in a few weeks ago.
Limbaugh has made a number of comments in the past that have alienated the African American community. Back when he used to worked for ESPN, Limbaugh remarked that the only reason anyone thought Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was any good was because the media was “very desirous that a black quarterback do well.” He resigned soon after making the comments. Much more recently, after a video of a Caucasian kid being beaten up by a group of minorities surfaced on the Internet, Limbaugh pointed to the video as a sign of “Obama’s America.” Let’s of course not forget his “the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons” quip.
As soon as Limbaugh was named as a potential buyer, voices from around the NFL stepped up to criticize the idea. McNabb remarked that he “wouldn’t be playing in St. Louis any time soon.” the NFL players union condemned any ownership group that would include Limbaugh and Indianapolis Colts owner Irsay immediately came out to say that any sale involving Limbaugh would not get his vote (the sale of teams has to be approved by a majority of the other NFL owners).
Predictably, the group dropped Limbaugh from their ranks and continued on without him.
After he was dropped, he immediately went after the NFL, calling it an “outpost of racism and liberalism.” Both claims are of course completely ridiculous, as the NFL has some of the greatest diversity of any major sporting league in the United States. Two thirds of NFL organizations have made more donations to conservative candidates than to their liberal opponents. That is even neglecting to mention that the president of the NFL, Roger Goodell, has a very conservative wife. So conservative in fact, that that she works for Fox News.
Should America feel sorry for this man? Absolutely not. He’s had plenty of chances to show his true colors, but it seems that he would rather spend that time belittling minorities. It is clear that he is a poor fit for any job involving people from different ethnic backgrounds than himself. He is a big sports fan and grew up not far from St. Louis, but the comments he has made are more than enough to prevent him from getting an ownership job in almost any pro league around. Well, except maybe the NBA.