[url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2009/10/colts-jim-irsay-says-he-would-not-vote-for-rush-limbaugh-as-nfl-owner/1]clicky[/url] Oh, and by the way, Mathias Kiwanuka was also born in Indianapolis, so maybe we Hoosiers just rock in general. :D

So let me get this straight. . .Limbaugh said some unkind things about a player who is not and was not a part of either the Rams or the Colts. . .six years ago. . .and the owner of the Colts is saying he won't approve of him right after the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson (who, by the way, don't have any official affiliation with the NFL) cried foul? Can I call bull?

I think it was beyond unkind. He basically said the only reason the media was interested in because McNabb was African-American. When in reality, at the start of EVERY season, there are things that get lots of press, usually the "unknown elements" (i.e. the "wildcat offense" talk, this year) and some of it pans out, some of it comes to nothing. But if some people DID want to see McNabb succeed just because he was African-American, who cares, for one thing? It IS just a game. I'll be honest, I support several teams, (as long as they're not playing the Colts) and some of my reasoning is kinda petty. The only reason I root for the Jets, is because they were the ones to bust the Pats cheating, and that's been a couple years now. And for another, those factions were right, most of the successful quarterbacks in the league ARE white, back then AND now. L-rd knows Sanchez wasn't doing anything to change that last night :P The year after Rush decided to play the race card to marginalize all the hype around Donovan McNabb, he would set a record by achieving 4 touchdowns in a single quarter... a record just broken this past weekend by the Pats' Tom Brady (GAG!). There's no real connection between the statements of Sharpton/Jackson and the stance of Jim Irsay as an NFL owner. There is also no direct connection between Limbaugh's politics and the opposition he faces. I've heard conservative radio talk show hosts badmouth anybody that opposes Rush's bid, as if it were some sort of assault on conservatives in general. It has nothing to do with conservatism. It has to do with controversy. This is the NFL, not the WWE. When you have players jumping out to announce they're unwilling to play for a team, because of their controversial owner, before the team and the league can even fully consider the offer, that's not good for the team. Especially when you're talking about a team like the Rams. They've got some really tough decisions to turn that team around. They're gonna need to dig deep within themselves, they're gonna need to try out for their own jobs, and put SOMEthing together, probably next year, to become a competitive team. And as they're going through darn near the entire roster, seeing where they can add some extra muscle, the last thing they need is even 20% of eligible players being unwilling to play for them, for something that has nothing to do with the team. But in thinking about it, it could get even uglier than that. I believe that even when a player has time remaining on their contract, they can still be traded by buying or selling that contract to another team. Well, even uglier than players refusing TO sign a contract, what happens if the Rams start trading, and players ALREADY under contract start refusing to play?

It just seems a little ridiculous to me. I'm not trying to minimize what Rush said. . .and I'm certainly not saying that he was right--McNabb is clearly a talented player. But sometimes you just gotta move on. Like I said it was [i]six[/i] years ago. Racism will continue to be a problem in this country as long as people get upset over over words. (And that's about the extent of racism that actually exists today. Anti-discrimination laws and the like have, for all practical purposes, eliminated the other forms that used to exist.) It's not like he said that all African-American players in the NFL got their shot because of the color of their skin. It was just McNabb he was referring to and McNabb [u]undoubtedly proved him wrong[/u] by his performance.

You're right, in a sense. There's a point to be made that racism doesn't end, until people let it end. But, then again, the people that love the sport of football just never chose to make that a battleground for racism, or politics. And that's what I think Rush's opposition is really about. I'm sure some opponents just don't like Rush. As for me, I'd be equally opposed if Al Sharpton wanted to buy a team. Whether people should be offended by this or that person, if they ARE offended by it, to the point of affecting what kind of star power the team can attract, that's just the wrong type of publicity. And like I say, ESPECIALLY for a team that's lost their last 16 games.

The Denver Broncos sure are doing good :) Now they have to start playing the real tough teams though, like the Giants and the Saints. Number 1 defense right now to! Woo!