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Bye, Bye Rush
Posted 10-06-2003
So, Rush Limbaugh quit his job on ESPN???? Does anyone really care?
When he was placed in a situation where he couldn't control the dialogue,
where the audience wasn't just his blindly loyal dittoheads, he
self-destructed rather quickly. Four weeks into the season, and he is gone.
Now, I might watch the ESPN pre-game show again.
The whole idea of the Nazi
gasbag doing a sport show was ridiculous to begin with. Just what sports
insight Limbaugh could have brought to the show really points to the whole
problem with hours of pre-game coverage anyway. There is really only so much
to say about the games and, beyond that, the dialogue drifts toward stuff
that really has little to do with the game. I guess with an all-sports
network, like ESPN, they have to fill a lot of time. After the nuts and
bolts of the game, the rest of the dialogue becomes pure entertainment.
I'm sure ESPN recruited
Limbaugh because they figured he would bring his dittohead audience with
him. And, apparently, that is what happened. But, Limbaugh couldn't contain
his strident views, and, in a sport dominated by black athletes, his
hatemongering couldn't be submerged into pure sports talk. I almost feel it
isn't even Limbaugh's fault. I blame ESPN's management for being so foolish
to think a person like Limbaugh had even the slightest amount of diplomacy.
He made his career by spewing forth hate, and why they thought he could shut
it off is beyond me.
The issue that caused
Limbaugh's downfall is one that really played itself out in the sports world
year ago. Black quarterbacks playing in the NFL was cutting edge back in the
1970's with guys like James Harris, Joe Gilliam, and Doug Williams. Since
then, who has been even talking about the color of an athletes' skin? I
guess for rednecks like Limbaugh, it is still an issue.
ESPN made a mistake by trying
to put Limbaugh into an environment that he couldn't control, that was
broader than his stereotypes, and one that ultimately, he'd screw up in. I
guess four weeks was about the right amount of time for Limbaugh. I hope
ESPN learned its lesson. While they chased higher ratings and apparently got
them, they weakened the show with someone like Limbaugh who may have some
political shtick, but nothing to offer as far as meaningful football
analysis.
The season has gotten off to
a rough start in the Steeler nation, and there haven't been too many good
things for any sportscaster to say about any of the Steelers. But we can
rest assured, we won't have to listen to Rush Limbaugh saying anything
"inciteful", and we know darn well he can't say anything "insightful" about
anyone. |
