What is interesting to me about the whole Limbaugh/McNabb thing is: Limbaugh is correct - to a point. Donovan McNabb IS overrated and he DOES get too much credit for the Eagles' susccess - but not because he's black. He is overrated and gets too much credit because he is a quarterback. ALL quarterbacks on good teams are overrated and get too much credit. (Well, almost all.) I'm a Giants fan and I think Kerry Collins is quite overrated. He's very good, but he's not Joe Montana. McNabb is good, but he's only (in my opinion) slightly better than Randall Cunningham.
If Limbaugh had simply said that McNabb is overrated and has gotten too much credit, he would not have caused any controversy. Which is why, of course, he didn't stop there. But I wonder which planet he has been living on. The idea that "the media" wants black quarterbacks to succeed is remarkably out-of-date. The entire issue of black quarterbacks in the NFL has not been an issue at all for over a decade. In fact, even longer, going back to Doug Williams' record-setting 2nd quarter in the Super Bowl in 1988. No one is seriously arguing the question anymore. Either Limbaugh is not aware of this - in which case he commits the professional sin of not knowing what he is talking about - or he is very much aware of it - in which case he commits the sin of suppressing information that contradicts his thesis. Either way he demonstrates a complete lack of qualification to be on the air. ESPN should have fired him before he chose to make a graceless exit under fire. But then, ESPN should never have hired him in the first place. They certainly didn't do so thinking they were hiring a football expert. So, why *did* they hire him? In my opinion, to appeal to exactly the audience that Limbaugh made his remarks to pander to: white males in their 20s and 30s who are convinced that the only reason they are not on easy street is because too many accommodations have been made to assist previously discriminated against minorities. It is not because American capitalism does not want to employ the marginally skilled. It is not because American public education has been deliberately starved of resources by a rightwing that wants to replace it with religiously-oriented private education. No, it is because too much is being done for minorities. Limbaugh professes this, and a lot of angry white males believe it. They're also the demographic Spike TV is now targeting, the so-called "Nascar Dads". ESPN thought they could tempt these people by putting Limbaugh on the air, and it blew up in their face. I'm not surprised Limbaugh acted the way he did. It works for him, so why shouldn't he? It's futile to hope that he will ever change. But ESPN - shame on them. Tom Beck www.prydonians.org www.mercerjewishsingles.org "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I never dreamed I'd see the last." - Dr Jerry Pournelle _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
