ESPN Sunday NFL Countdown thread (Rush update)

10/05/03 | Andy from Beaverton

[Andy from Beaverton]

Is anybody watching the show? Can you believe what they are saying? Talking about stabing someone in the back!

[SignGuyDino]

Add me to the list who will never watch NFL Countdown again.

[SignGuyDino]

How was that opening segment on espn's NFL Countdown hypocritical? Let me count some of the ways:

If the NFL really is a "colorblind" "brotherhood" gentlemen, then why not get rid of the NFL's minority coach hiring program?!

Funny how Tom Jackson said that Limbaugh "broke a trust." Excuse me? So NONE of you have EVER gave social commentary on espn? Now don't lie now. Just that you wanted to actually just dabble in social commentary instead of debating somebody whose livelihood is based on it.

BTW, ALL COMMENTATORS are "divisive," even football commentators. Granted, not as much as social commentators, but don't act shocked he made a social opinion, Mr. Jackson.

Frankly, I wished they'd either let Rush just give a commentary, or talk football, or not be on in the first place. The format was ripe for disaster. But the way they made Rush as some sort of bogeyman is despicable.

Funny how neither Jackson nor Irvin ever acknowledged how sympathetic Rush was to the minority assistant coaches who look like tokens in the NFL's minority hiring program from his commentary on FREAKING WEEK ONE. Funny, my recollection was that Irvin, when he commented on the NFL hiring practice when he did Arena Football on NBC (also on their first week), when another analyst suggested maybe the practice is wrong, but black coaches should at least get their names out there to tell other teams he's available, Irvin said, "I would not want to be a token candidate." Limbaugh AGREED with that sympathy.

I guess if you don't agree with the liberal sports media's very narrow definition of what is right and wrong on race issues in their field, not only are you wrong, you're racist and wrong. Which proves there is an agenda in the liberal sports media. So Rush's initial premise WAS correct.


Just like it's wrong for white columnists to give white heavyweights some slack because they're the "great white hope," it's wrong for some (not all, some) liberal commentators to give anyone some slack just because of race. And it DOES happen. I guess a right-wing version of Howard Cosell isn't allowed in Mickey Mouse land.

Bottom line is, what Rush said were WORDS, that's all. There isn't a single person on espn who couldn't have been fired at sometime for screwing up. He didn't even communicate a threat, which Bob Ryan all but did over Jason Kidd's wife. Oh, I forgot, his "punishment" was an extended one-month vacation.

That's a "brotherhood" I want no part of. I'd rather just tick everyone off for speaking my mind.

[SignGuyDino]

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/ts20031003.shtml


As usual, Thomas Sowell sets us straight. Right as ALWAYS!!

[Tall_Texan]

The media and NFL, on the other hand, don't have the guts or the integrity to acknowledge their bias. If they were to acknowledge it, I think alot of people would be fine with that. Instead, they lie and act like they haven't run a thousand pieces about the rise of black quarterbacks (after years and years of running stories about why they're weren't more black quarterbacks).

I haven't read the entire thread either but I did notice far more commericals involving Donovan McNabb today than usual. (VISA, Campbell's Soup, NFL Charities, did I forget any?) It sure seemed like a "we're not racists" response on the part of NFL sponsors and it makes you wonder if Rush wasn't more dead-on when you see how many groups have not just an interest in seeing McNabb succeed but a financial stake in seeing McNabb succeed.

[G.Mason]

"ahhhmm" indicates sarcasm. Hello?!?"

My error.

Please excuse.

With all the shouting we [I] were doing I missed it.

Nothing like a good nights sleep to get out of the attack mode.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Looks like I call up DirecTV today and order the sports package...bye-bye ESPN, hello Fox Sports Net!

[Finalapproach29er]

Tom Jackson stepped on his labia today.

LOL-- Water coming out my nose.

[SignGuyDino]

That comment was just so wrong...maybe true, though..;)

[ml/nj]

I was talking about Texas' Vince Young - weren't you?

I guess you didn't follow my link.

ML/NJ

[JohnGalt]

Rush resigned-- he did not back up his opinion, which frankly I think was a completely contrived opinion to promote controversey and make for an interesting show.

McNabb might be 'over rated' as a player, but that has far more to do with his own self-promotion theme, at this stage, than the press desire to see 'balck quarterbacks do well.'

In 1999, when Culpepper, McNabb, and McNair were coming there was a lot of truth to what Rush is saying, but the real question was never skin color but the concept of NFL teams winning with QBs that got rushing yards. Quincy Carter was drafted #1 by the Cowboys on this concept. It never had anything to do with race.

Rush could have positioned the debate around rushing qbs; the only rushing QB to win the Super Bowl was Steve Young as I don't count Ken Stabler amongst the rushing QBs. That simple fact is that rushing qbs are great athletes and are quite visible where as the drop back passer (see Trent Dilfer, Kerry Collins...) tends to be a little boring.

But who wins rings? Who makes it through season after season without getting hurt? Who stands to have long careers once their athletic skills begin to decline?

Rush siimply did not know crap about football. The absurd thing is that adults should be able to talk about what Rush said in honest debate, not the completely contrived responses of the ESPN crew that somehow Rush was making racist comments.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

the only rushing QB to win the Super Bowl was Steve Young

I don't recall that he rushed very often, and when he did it was usually a broken play, but Fran Tarkington (Sp?) broke from the pocket and scrambled very often. And he played in several Super Bowls.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

Rush siimply did not know crap about football.

Actually he is very knowledgeable, which is one reason ESPN hired him. In fact McNabb proved Rush's point Sunday, poor performance by McNabb, game was won by the defense.

[unsycophant]

Thanks for the info. It sure seems as if plenty of people were just waiting for any chance to pounce.

[ItsTheMediaStupid]

NFL players, roughly two-thirds of whom are African-American.

Shouldn't someone do something about this? Seems to me there are too many blacks in the NFL. Either whites don't want to play football anymore, or they are passed up during the college drafts.

[unsycophant]

Until reading that piece, I was not aware that 2/3 of the NFL was black. It makes you wonder what's going on with the NFL.

[JohnGalt]

Tarkenton never won a Super Bowl. Steve Young is a debatable rushing Qb when he won SBs with the niners; that is a fair point. He certainly came into first the USFL and then onto the Tampa Bay Bucs as a rushing QB.

[JohnGalt]

Rush knows crap about football. He does not even understand the concept of the line when he pretends on his radio show to understand the gamblers perspective.

[smith288]

Rush knows crap about football. He does not even understand the concept of the line when he pretends on his radio show to understand the gamblers perspective.

Who cares, he was brought to the show to bring in a "fans" perspective. Go to any football game and you will see know it alls who know nothing. Rush is probably the same.

[Let's Roll]

Didn't follow your link? No ... or your team either.

Sorry, thought the Vince Young comment was yours - see now after sleuthing back that it was humbugs.

[JohnGalt]

Oh, I agree, don't get me wrong.

I thought Rush added some well-needed 'alternative' perspective to the increasing lowest common denominator pregame NFL broadcast, but that did not mean his opinions were high grade or even qualified.


But he is not a 1%-er.