ESPN fumbles by hiring Rush Limbaugh

I've written a column for SportsFilter on ESPN's hiring of Rush Limbaugh to do commentary on its NFL Countdown show, which premieres tonight. The short version: Limbaugh's a creep, a racist, a bore, and an ideologue who has no business on a sports program. Other than that, though, I think it's a great move.

Sports · 2003/09/04 · 8 COMMENTS · Link

Comments

Bravissimo!
Limbaugh should be shunned in polite society. Thank you for speaking out.
And thanks to Atrios for sending me your way!

#1 · Plenty · 2003/09/05

On the other hand, I do get my sunday evenings back

#2 · Sam Jackson · 2003/09/05

It certainly will shake things up a bit. It would be a bit more exciting if say Al Franken was also on the show and the two could rumble over the week's matchups or the long-term viability of instant replay. Otherwise there's already a fat balding guy on the show and at least he's funny.

#3 · Todd · 2003/09/05

Thanks for this article -- I'd really like to sign a petition to get this guy off of anything that pretends to be legitimate media. I do like football, and it sucks that I can't watch it because I won't support this arrogant blowhard in any way...

#4 · WorldTurnedUpsideDown · 2003/09/06

How can you call a guy who has 20 million dedicated daily listeners a bore? he may be other things but he aint no bore! You my friend are a bore. Want proof? Lets match your readership against his. If you were even 1/1,000,000 as interesting as he you'd have server problems. You seem to be handling the load pretty good today. Nuff said.

#5 · Son of Rush · 2003/09/08

Your Skirt is billowing-up. I can see your panties! What an incredible Fag you are!

#6 · BEP · 2003/09/08

Rush Limbaugh is not a racist. Most of what FAIR reported on their website is either completely incorrect or taken completely out of context.The last thing in the world FAIR represents is fairness...they have an agenda, just like Limbaugh, only polar opposite.

How can playing the Jeffersons theme about a black former Senator be racist anyway? Isn't the song from a TV show about a black family moving up in life? Besides, as parody, it made sense. Mosely-Braul spend much of her political career in self-aggrandizement or finding ways to line her pockets.

Also, does anyone think Micheal Irvin and Tom Jackson, who have been with ESPN for a while and who probably have more clout, would sit across the studion with a proven racist?

All this nonsense about petitions and the like...c'mon, change the channel. Not like there aren't a lot of pregame shows on TV on Sunday.

#7 · Joe · 2003/09/09

The quotes collected by FAIR were widely published three years ago, and I can't find any evidence that Limbaugh has subsequently challenged their accuracy, provided context that would explain them, or apologized for any of the remarks. Lacking any of that, I don't see any basis to claim that they're completely incorrect.

As for the Jeffersons, playing the theme song with every mention of Moseley-Braun is racist because it calls attention to her race solely as a means of ridicule and compares her to a buffoon who had just gotten out of the 'hood. I think it's pretty odious to do that to the first female African-American senator in U.S. history.

#8 · Rogers Cadenhead · 2003/09/10