Enceladus
2003-10-01 21:37:46 UTC
MEDIA ADVISORY:
Limbaugh's Latest Slur: No Surprise?
October 1, 2003
Conservative radio talkshow host Rush Limbaugh has already started a
controversy at his new perch on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. On the show's
September 28 broadcast, Limbaugh chastised the media for overrating
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. According to Limbaugh,
reporters have been soft on McNabb because they are "very desirous that a
black quarterback do well. There's interest in black quarterbacks and
coaches doing well." Limbaugh added that McNabb, who has been voted by his
fellow players to the Pro Bowl three times, is not "as good as everyone says
he has been."
Today McNabb held a press conference to respond to Limbaugh's charges.
"The people who were watching in the African-American homes, the kids, the
parents.... When they hear something like that, what do they think?" he
asked.
Limbaugh's comments have sparked a controversy in the media, as columnists
and reporters discuss the subject of Limbaugh and racism. ESPN can't claim
to be surprised by the situation. When the network hired Limbaugh, the
talkshow host clearly intended to bring his politics into his sports
commentary: "I am who I am," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(7/15/03). "I think my overall philosophies of life will be a factor."
So is racism a part of Limbaugh's "overall philosophies of life"? The
following op-ed by FAIR's Steve Rendall and FAIR founder Jeff Cohen--
co-authors of The Way Things Aren't: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error-- was
written in 2000, when Limbaugh was being considered as an addition to ABC's
Monday Night Football. Limbaugh was ultimately rejected for the job.
Limbaugh's Latest Slur: No Surprise?
October 1, 2003
Conservative radio talkshow host Rush Limbaugh has already started a
controversy at his new perch on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. On the show's
September 28 broadcast, Limbaugh chastised the media for overrating
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. According to Limbaugh,
reporters have been soft on McNabb because they are "very desirous that a
black quarterback do well. There's interest in black quarterbacks and
coaches doing well." Limbaugh added that McNabb, who has been voted by his
fellow players to the Pro Bowl three times, is not "as good as everyone says
he has been."
Today McNabb held a press conference to respond to Limbaugh's charges.
"The people who were watching in the African-American homes, the kids, the
parents.... When they hear something like that, what do they think?" he
asked.
Limbaugh's comments have sparked a controversy in the media, as columnists
and reporters discuss the subject of Limbaugh and racism. ESPN can't claim
to be surprised by the situation. When the network hired Limbaugh, the
talkshow host clearly intended to bring his politics into his sports
commentary: "I am who I am," he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
(7/15/03). "I think my overall philosophies of life will be a factor."
So is racism a part of Limbaugh's "overall philosophies of life"? The
following op-ed by FAIR's Steve Rendall and FAIR founder Jeff Cohen--
co-authors of The Way Things Aren't: Rush Limbaugh's Reign of Error-- was
written in 2000, when Limbaugh was being considered as an addition to ABC's
Monday Night Football. Limbaugh was ultimately rejected for the job.