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Rush Limbaugh is a big fat idiot.
Those who follow sports may no doubt have heard of Rush Limbaugh's resignation from ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown show, over his controversial remarks. There were debates over whether or not Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback, Donovan McNabb - a Pro-Bowl player in the midst of numerous struggles this season - was overrated.
There are a few issues at play:
1) Was McNabb that good from the get-go?
2) Is Donovan McNabb overrated.
3) Why?
Well, McNabb is great. He plays in Philadelphia, with a bad corps of recievers, a mediocre offensive line, and untalented running backs. McNabb has made the pro-bowl, he was a runner up league MVP, and his statistics and performance are excellent. His team is 36-22 in games he starts. For the past two seasons his rating was in the 80's and he averaged over 7 yards a carry. Donovan McNabb is one of the best QB's in the league. So, Limbaugh's way off-base on this point.
Personally, I think McNabb is a little overrated - maybe a little. He does benefit from a good defense. And he did play like garbage in the Eagles' playoff loss. But as overrated as Limbaugh claimed. Heck, no.
Why? Is it because he's black, and the media wants to pump him up? Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon has stated he wants McNabb to do well, because he's black - but does that speak to the media as a whole? Does the media overrate Jason Sehorn and Jason Williams because they are white guys that play "black" positions?
Well, the media didn't give McNabb a $115 million-dollar contract. The owners did. And his skin color may play something of a role. But is it anywhere near as significant as Limbaugh asserts. This isn't 1968, when Marlon Briscoe was the only black quarterback in professional football. It's isn't 1988, when Doug William's was the first black quarterback to play in a championship game.
McNabb's Eagles have been in the NFC championship game two years in a row. McNabb does a series of national commercials, and has tremendous national exposure. He plays in a major media market, and his team is frequently televised. He is a flashy and athletic player. He's also well known as being an articulate and intelligent young man, with a great sense of humor and a spotless public record. He's handsome and media-savvy. Generally, McNabb is an example of everything that is good about athletics.
If he's overrated, that may also be why.
To say McNabb is overrated because he's black, would lead one to believe that there's a media bias toward black quarterbacks in general, and not a bias specific to McNabb. It certainly impugns the quality of both the media, and of every black QB that gets talked up. So we can take a look at that - there are other black QB's.
Akilli Smith, Tony Banks & Charlie Batch - Well, these guys just weren't all that good. They took just as much crap as every white QB that stunk.
Kordell Stewart - Like McNabb, Stewart is a flashy and famous player, whose been to the playoffs. And Stewart has taken more criticism than any QB in the NFL in years. The press (and poor play) ran Kordell out of Pittsburgh.
Aaron Brooks, Jeff Blake, Rodney Peete & Byron Leftwich - are these even names you've heard? These guys get minimal press, primarily because they're playing on poor teams in minor media markets. To the extent that Leftwich gets any national press, it's because he's a rookie. When Peete gets press, it's often because he's married to actress Holly Robinson, and because he's one of the oldest players in the league. If the media has an interest in "the Black Quarterback" why don't these guys get any pub for being black?
Daunte Culpepper & Steve McNair - both are playoff QB's. Both are known for being tough and skilled. And yet, neither gets the positive press that McNabb does. Why aren't they overrated? They're black too? They've been to the playoffs, and McNair was carried by his defense and teammates as much as McNabb was. Well, they play in Minneapolis and Nashville. Hardly the media markets Philly is. And neither Culpepper nor McNair have McNabb's charisma or media-savvy. Maybe that's why they don't get the press McNabb does.
Michael Vick - Vick gets tons of publicity. He's on the cover of the EA Sports video game, and has massive following. Why? Because Michael Vick can play. Because he's an exciting athlete to watch. Because Michael Vick is charming and handsome. Not just because he's black.
Limbaugh claimed that his comments wouldn't have stirred the media frenzy and denunciations that they did, if he wasn't right. That's one view. Alternatively, his comments stirred outrage because they were baseless and ridiculous. Donovan McNabb may or may not be overrated. But to claim that is based on his skin color is patently ridiculous. That stuff might fly on The Rush Limbaugh Show radio talk show. The Veer Option might fly in college football. But neither can fly on Sunday in the NFL.
A lot of people think Limbaugh's comments indicate racist sentiment. Maybe he was just using his ESPN job to grind his axe against the "Liberal Media". And maybe Limbaugh wasn't prepared for just how vocal and vehement sports fans can be, and for how willing sports fans are to go directly to statistics to counter your arguments. I can't say for sure. What I can say, for sure, is that his comments were patently ridiculous and displayed a complete absence of insight and knowledge of the game. And on the field of play, when "politics" and "media bias" aren't issues to be taken into consideration, nothing's worse than incompetence and idiocy.
As former Georgetown coach John Thompson noted, I do wish he'd been kept on ESPN so that people could have a chance to directly confront his arguments in a forum where he'd have to defend or disavow. As it plays out, he'll either be a convenient target or martyr, but there won't be the same opportunity to educate and counter the ignorance Limbaugh's simplistic viewpoint propounds and represents.
I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They're interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well. I think there's a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."
Rush Limbaugh
There are a few issues at play:
1) Was McNabb that good from the get-go?
2) Is Donovan McNabb overrated.
3) Why?
Well, McNabb is great. He plays in Philadelphia, with a bad corps of recievers, a mediocre offensive line, and untalented running backs. McNabb has made the pro-bowl, he was a runner up league MVP, and his statistics and performance are excellent. His team is 36-22 in games he starts. For the past two seasons his rating was in the 80's and he averaged over 7 yards a carry. Donovan McNabb is one of the best QB's in the league. So, Limbaugh's way off-base on this point.
Personally, I think McNabb is a little overrated - maybe a little. He does benefit from a good defense. And he did play like garbage in the Eagles' playoff loss. But as overrated as Limbaugh claimed. Heck, no.
Why? Is it because he's black, and the media wants to pump him up? Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon has stated he wants McNabb to do well, because he's black - but does that speak to the media as a whole? Does the media overrate Jason Sehorn and Jason Williams because they are white guys that play "black" positions?
Well, the media didn't give McNabb a $115 million-dollar contract. The owners did. And his skin color may play something of a role. But is it anywhere near as significant as Limbaugh asserts. This isn't 1968, when Marlon Briscoe was the only black quarterback in professional football. It's isn't 1988, when Doug William's was the first black quarterback to play in a championship game.
McNabb's Eagles have been in the NFC championship game two years in a row. McNabb does a series of national commercials, and has tremendous national exposure. He plays in a major media market, and his team is frequently televised. He is a flashy and athletic player. He's also well known as being an articulate and intelligent young man, with a great sense of humor and a spotless public record. He's handsome and media-savvy. Generally, McNabb is an example of everything that is good about athletics.
If he's overrated, that may also be why.
To say McNabb is overrated because he's black, would lead one to believe that there's a media bias toward black quarterbacks in general, and not a bias specific to McNabb. It certainly impugns the quality of both the media, and of every black QB that gets talked up. So we can take a look at that - there are other black QB's.
Akilli Smith, Tony Banks & Charlie Batch - Well, these guys just weren't all that good. They took just as much crap as every white QB that stunk.
Kordell Stewart - Like McNabb, Stewart is a flashy and famous player, whose been to the playoffs. And Stewart has taken more criticism than any QB in the NFL in years. The press (and poor play) ran Kordell out of Pittsburgh.
Aaron Brooks, Jeff Blake, Rodney Peete & Byron Leftwich - are these even names you've heard? These guys get minimal press, primarily because they're playing on poor teams in minor media markets. To the extent that Leftwich gets any national press, it's because he's a rookie. When Peete gets press, it's often because he's married to actress Holly Robinson, and because he's one of the oldest players in the league. If the media has an interest in "the Black Quarterback" why don't these guys get any pub for being black?
Daunte Culpepper & Steve McNair - both are playoff QB's. Both are known for being tough and skilled. And yet, neither gets the positive press that McNabb does. Why aren't they overrated? They're black too? They've been to the playoffs, and McNair was carried by his defense and teammates as much as McNabb was. Well, they play in Minneapolis and Nashville. Hardly the media markets Philly is. And neither Culpepper nor McNair have McNabb's charisma or media-savvy. Maybe that's why they don't get the press McNabb does.
Michael Vick - Vick gets tons of publicity. He's on the cover of the EA Sports video game, and has massive following. Why? Because Michael Vick can play. Because he's an exciting athlete to watch. Because Michael Vick is charming and handsome. Not just because he's black.
Limbaugh claimed that his comments wouldn't have stirred the media frenzy and denunciations that they did, if he wasn't right. That's one view. Alternatively, his comments stirred outrage because they were baseless and ridiculous. Donovan McNabb may or may not be overrated. But to claim that is based on his skin color is patently ridiculous. That stuff might fly on The Rush Limbaugh Show radio talk show. The Veer Option might fly in college football. But neither can fly on Sunday in the NFL.
A lot of people think Limbaugh's comments indicate racist sentiment. Maybe he was just using his ESPN job to grind his axe against the "Liberal Media". And maybe Limbaugh wasn't prepared for just how vocal and vehement sports fans can be, and for how willing sports fans are to go directly to statistics to counter your arguments. I can't say for sure. What I can say, for sure, is that his comments were patently ridiculous and displayed a complete absence of insight and knowledge of the game. And on the field of play, when "politics" and "media bias" aren't issues to be taken into consideration, nothing's worse than incompetence and idiocy.
Rush must not be reading the local papers ... I think the people of this city, who know Donovan McNabb best and rely on him most, have actually been very critical of him, and have treated him like an athlete. Some of it has been fair. And a lot of it has been uncomplimentary. Donovan has been very graceful.
John Street, Mayor of Philadelphia
As former Georgetown coach John Thompson noted, I do wish he'd been kept on ESPN so that people could have a chance to directly confront his arguments in a forum where he'd have to defend or disavow. As it plays out, he'll either be a convenient target or martyr, but there won't be the same opportunity to educate and counter the ignorance Limbaugh's simplistic viewpoint propounds and represents.