No surprise with Limbaugh: ESPN got what it wanted
By GARY SHELTON
Published October 3, 2003
Ah. So this is what they mean by the Bum's Rush.
He is gone and, someday, perhaps he will be quiet about it. The history of the game will remember him as nothing more than someone else who said something dumb on his way out the door.
Still, as the public flogging of Rush Limbaugh continues, there is a lesson to be remembered.
Never sweat the idiot who has left the room.
Instead, worry about the ones who remain.
Go on. Have your fun with Limbaugh, a guy who was destined to depart quickly, loudly and aflame. His statements regarding Donovan McNabb were as monumentally stupid, uniformed and ill-conceived as the last racial patter from the last designated fumblemouth.
But what about those who remain at ESPN?
What are we supposed to think of those guys?
Look, Limbaugh said something outrageous. Big surprise there. Outrage is what Limbaugh does. He found fame in being outrageous and fortune in being outrageous, so why in the world should football be any different.
Face it. Outrage is exactly the reason ESPN hired Limbaugh to begin with. It wasn't his expertise in the game, for crying out loud. It wasn't because of the exacting way he broke down film or the insightful way he conducted interviews. It wasn't because he's a funny guy, or a guy who can share interesting stories of his days in the huddle. It wasn't because he's pretty, which shouldn't get someone a job anyway, but let's face it, it does.
Nope. ESPN hired him because maybe, just maybe, Limbaugh would say something that would shock people.
And maybe, just maybe, another viewer would tune in to see it.
So when Limbaugh said that McNabb is overrated because the media want so desperately for a black man to succeed at the position, the only surprise should have been this: Limbaugh almost got through September before he said something this stupid.
Go ahead. Dissect what Limbaugh said if you want.
There is nothing wrong with an analyst saying McNabb - or anyone else, for that matter - is overrated. A lot of things are overrated. Caviar. Lucille Ball. The movie Titanic. The comic strip Peanuts. Walking in the rain. Meryl Streep. Saying something is overrated isn't just one opinion, it's two. It's saying what the public thinks of someone, and it's saying it's inflated. Nothing wrong with that.
Limbaugh's folly was in dragging race into the discussion. No matter what you think of McNabb, the success of black quarterbacks is not lying at his feet. That was settled a long time ago. I'm surprised Limbaugh didn't hear about it. It was in all the papers.
As far as the media, let's face it, we don't agree on anything, let alone on which quarterbacks to pull for. But we agree on this: the inside of Limbaugh's skull must be a scary place to visit.
So go ahead. Join the chorus of those who are insulted by Limbaugh's words. Defend him, because after all, he didn't like Bill Clinton. Laugh at how Limbaugh suggests that the firestorm proves he is right. (Isn't that like saying you were correct in carrying an umbrella because it didn't rain?)
Then, realize this:
Limbaugh was bound to say something dumb.
He was hired to say something dumb.
This was as inevitable as Dennis Miller using a strange literary allusion, as predictable as Wanda Sykes making a joke, as certain as John Madden using a telestrator. If ESPN had hired Gallagher, he would hit a watermelon with a hammer. If ESPN hired Carrot Top, he'd dial down the center. Because that's what they do.
Remember this. In the hours before Limbaugh resigned Wednesday, ESPN spokesmen were actually defending the guy. They were bragging about the 10-point rise in ratings.
Why isn't it enough to be the go-to sports station in the United States? Why isn't it sufficient to be the news source on athletes and the games they play? Every athlete, every fan in this country watches SportsCenter.
Why then, hire Rush Limbaugh? What? Was Jerry Springer busy? Is Al Franken next?
ESPN has to bear a lot of the responsibility for this one. That's true on the set, where Chris Berman, Michael Irvin, Tom Jackson and Steve Young have some explaining to do on why they sat so passively as Limbaugh was warbling along. Why not challenge Limbaugh? Why not make fun of him?
It's true in the top offices, too. Someone in charge needs to talk to programming.
Have you seen Playmakers? It's a dreadful show, almost as dreadful as the XFL. And its very existence insults the players who participate in that week's game. The message of Playmakers is this: This is who these guys are, really. This is what their lives are like. Actually, it's about as close to the truth as the Harry Potter movies are to what elementary school is all about.
Once again, why does ESPN need to wallow in this? Why does it need outrage? Why does it need fiction? Why aren't the games enough?
Go ahead. Think what you will of Limbaugh and his demise. Debate whether he should have been allowed to resign or if someone should have waited until next week's show, walked onto the set and fired him while on camera.
In the end, however, remember this:
Limbaugh has been silenced.
But the guys who hired him are already talking about their next blowhard.
