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NFL Team Owner:Just hiring conservative is racist!
Press Release ^ | October 6, 2003 | The National Center for Public Policy Research

Posted on 10/07/2003 1:32:58 PM PDT by AlwaysLurking

NFL Team Owner Claims Merely to Hire a Conservative as a Sports Commentator is Proof of "Institutional Racism"

Should Conservatives Part Company with the NFL?

"Much of the commentary by the pro football community in the wake the the Rush Limbaugh/ESPN controversy has been hostile to conservatives," says Amy Ridenour, president of The National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative group. "Some of it attacks all conservatives explicitly; most of the rest attacks Rush Limbaugh in such a way as to make it clear that conservatism is what they actually hate. Will the NFL, any pro football team, or any sports network disavow these insensitive attacks on tens of millions of Americans? Or are conservative fans not wanted?"

"The owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jeffrey Lurie, has said that merely to hire Limbaugh, a conservative talk show host, is evidence of 'institutional racism' at ESPN," said Ridenour. "Imagine that -- merely hiring a conservative as a sport commentator is evidence of 'institutional racism.'"

According to media reports, Lurie also called the mere hiring of Limbaugh a "racial potshot" at the NFL.

Concluded Ridenour, a life-long football fan: "I've been reading editorial comments about what Limbaugh said, and in doing so I've seen A LOT of anti-conservative vitriol from print media sports columnists, TV sports commentators and pro-football players in addition to the especially offensive attack from the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. What I have not seen is anyone from the NFL or anyone from an institution that makes money from its association with the NFL saying that the millions of conservatives being attacked right now are valued customers. So maybe we're not. Maybe they don't want us around. Do they care enough to prove us wrong?"

Ridenour supplied several examples, chosen at random, of sports columnists attacking conservatism or Rush Limbaugh apparently for his conservatism -- usually a parody of conservatism -- instead of constructively discussing the actual remarks:

"This league with such a shameless record on affirmative action was now getting its sociology lessons from a man who would probably, under a polygraph, disavow the Emancipation Proclamation..... Left unsaid, though, was what ESPN's motivation was for hiring the latter-day Red baiter in the first place. Has the NASCAR crowd been switching to Fox and away from the Disney-owned stations in protest of PC-filled animated films?" - Jeff Vrabel, Jeff Wisser & Jeff Johnson, Limbaugh Shows True Colors, Cut from Team, Chicago Sun-Times, October 5

"The reason that mudslinging works on the radio is simple: On the radio, Limbaugh is speaking to the dittoheads, the disciples who swallow everything. On TV, Limbaugh has to address the population as a whole." - Mark Whicker, Reality Television: Rush Limbaugh Revealed, Orange County Register, October 4

"Strip away all Limbaugh's media (I'm surprised he didn't say "liberal media") mumbo-jumbo and what you have is someone who believes McNabb is an inadequate quarterback because he is black. And, according to Limbaugh's own words, any credit McNabb has gotten has nothing to do with on-field accomplishments and everything to do with the color of his skin. Limbaugh on the radio, where he is preaching to his choir of sycophants, would not have been so tactically vague. He would have called McNabb an 'affirmative action quarterback,' then opened the phones to have his every word reinforced." - Bob Raissman, Race-Hustling ESPN Got its Ratings Boost before Limbaugh Resigned, New York Daily News, October 2

"You didn't know when, you didn't know where, but you knew sooner or later, he was going to trot out his racist political venom. My only surprise is that it took so long for him to spew it all over the foolish network executives like ESPN's wonderboy Mark Shapiro, who came up with the not-so-bright idea to hire him in the first place. The pressure to ditch him - and the reason he gave in to that pressure and resigned - was not about unfair racial double standards, or a man being penalized for simply offering a sports opinion. It was about a man seeking a new forum to trumpet his usual political agenda. It was about the suits at ESPN who should have known exactly what that political agenda was based on a body of work that suggests - heck it fairly screamed - that Limbaugh was a mean-spirited, liberal-bashing, feminist-bashing, gay-bashing, minority-bashing blowhard who spent a great deal of energy ripping everyone who doesn't look or think like him. -Bryan Burwell, ESPN Gets What it Deserves in Rush of Poisonous Venom, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 4


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: espn; football; jeffreylurie; limbaugh; mcnabb; nfl; philadelphiaeagles; racism; rush
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To: RobbyS
MUCH better!!!!!
41 posted on 10/07/2003 2:08:49 PM PDT by NCC-1701 ((Good luck, happy hunting, and God-speed to the US military and our allies in this operation.))
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Comment #42 Removed by Moderator

To: montag813
Get a life. Who gives a Rat's behind if this has been posted a week ago.
43 posted on 10/07/2003 2:16:37 PM PDT by just looking
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To: NCC-1701
Quincy had had his ego stomped on hard. It must have meant a lot to him when Coach picked him as the man. So far he has done good.
44 posted on 10/07/2003 2:16:53 PM PDT by RobbyS (CHIRHO)
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To: HenryLeeII
"Or is that the Burgundy & Gold side?"

How about the silver and blue side, 3-1 and 1st place in the NFC East Woohoo!
Not to mention our UNDERRATED black QB!


45 posted on 10/07/2003 2:26:25 PM PDT by GunnyHartman
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To: AlwaysLurking
I wonder what proportion of football fans are conservative? I'm not much of a fan myeslf, but the libs I've known have tended to be outright contemptuous of sports in general.
46 posted on 10/07/2003 2:31:42 PM PDT by Salman (Mickey Akbar)
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To: HenryLeeII; Owl_Eagle
Come over to the Dark Side! Or is that the Burgundy & Gold side? Dan Snyder is waiting...

You know, it isn't too late to jump on the Chief's bandwagon......

47 posted on 10/07/2003 2:38:05 PM PDT by Skooz (All Hail the Mighty Kansas City Chiefs)
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To: AlwaysLurking
Why don't they just change their name to the Philadelphia Racebaiters and get it over with.
48 posted on 10/07/2003 2:41:24 PM PDT by Timesink
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To: AlwaysLurking
Jeffrey should just get it over with and by a soccer team, the homo.
49 posted on 10/07/2003 2:43:12 PM PDT by Dead Dog
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To: Dead Dog
by=buy
50 posted on 10/07/2003 2:43:51 PM PDT by Dead Dog
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To: montag813
It's okay to repeat info now and again. I don't recall seeing the headline earlier.

Libs are such narrow-minded bigots.

51 posted on 10/07/2003 2:45:28 PM PDT by madison10
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To: Salman
I think that the NFL and Crudwiser are going to be bigger losers than Davis and mr. MeCHA bustyourkneecaps.
52 posted on 10/07/2003 3:03:02 PM PDT by Righty1 (N)
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To: AlwaysLurking
"Limbaugh was a mean-spirited, liberal-bashing, feminist-bashing, gay-bashing, minority-bashing blowhard who spent a great deal of energy ripping everyone who doesn't look or think like him. -Bryan Burwell"

Obviously, Mr. Burwell has never listened to Rush 'cuz Limbaugh is nothing like the cretin he describes...oh well, can't let the truth get in the way of a good Leftist rant, can we?!

SHEEEESH...MUD

53 posted on 10/07/2003 3:18:23 PM PDT by Mudboy Slim (RE-IMPEACH Osama bil Clinton!!)
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To: Lee_Atwater
Jeff Lurie, the Philadelphia owner, made his money as a Hollywood producer. That explains his worldview.

My understanding is that he was actually a flop in Hollyweird.
His money was inherited. Grandpa owned a string of theaters around Boston.

54 posted on 10/07/2003 3:24:19 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: mhking
We take it for granted that people who enjoy the NFL are, take them as they run, fans of particular teams first and then of the league. So if you are a Packers fan, for example, who is surprised that you think their quarterback is the best? You want him to be the best, and he has won quite a few games, so--it doesn't make you a racist if you are rooting for a particular white quarterback.

But when Rush says that people are wanting a star black quarterback, what does that really mean? One thing it means is that whites as well as blacks--and conservatives as well as liberals--want a black to do well at QB. And I put it to you that that is the most controversial aspect of Rush's statement because to accept that conservative whites can and do pull for blacks (as being, for whatever reason, underdogs in trying to play pro quarterback) is to admit that race hustling is race hustling.

The other thing, the NFL is on record as wanting black head coaches. What does it mean, if blacks excell far out of proportion to their numbers in all other positions on the football field except the one position requiring the least physical abilility to run and/or push someone around? I put it to you that a Michael Vick or a Kordell Stuart could play wide receiver--and when they are in a jam at the quarterback position they exploit that physical ability as the situation requires. McNabb could maybe play fullback, and he exploits that physical ability as the situation requires. So all of them modify the job description of QB when they play that position.

If what you are really after someone who pulls the game out mostly by his wits and legedermain, you really want the pure pocket-passer quarterback. You don't, in your heart of hearts, want a black John Elway--you actually want a black Peyton Manning. And, truth be told, you want a continual stream of them just like the continual stream of black running backs, wide receivers, and linemen--and linebackers, etc.

55 posted on 10/07/2003 3:40:22 PM PDT by conservatism_IS_compassion (The everyday blessings of God are great--they just don't make "good copy.")
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To: AlwaysLurking
Jeff Lurie, If I am not mistaken, hails from the Santa
Monica (aka Soviet Monica) area of SoCal. Therefore, his
fragmented opinions should surprise no one, but he should
pay more attention to his failing and underachieving
football team!
56 posted on 10/07/2003 4:17:08 PM PDT by jragan2001
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To: b4its2late; Recovering_Democrat; Alissa; Pan_Yans Wife; LADY J; mathluv; browardchad; cardinal4; ...

57 posted on 10/07/2003 4:26:18 PM PDT by Born Conservative ("Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names" - John F. Kennedy)
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To: Willie Green
Your understanding is correct...I am sure. I always saw him billed as "Hollywood producer", not "movie theater heir" Being unfamiliar with the inner business of Hollywood, I assumed he made money enough money on his own to buy contolling interest in am NFL franchise.

He still is a product of that peculiar Hollyweird culture.
58 posted on 10/07/2003 4:42:53 PM PDT by Lee_Atwater
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To: just looking
Get a life. Who gives a Rat's behind if this has been posted a week ago.

Obviously you don't care, enough to check whether there were 4 existing threads on this stale subject. Get a life? No, get a clue about FR policies. A week-old article is not to be placed in Breaking News. Admin Moderators have been very busy having to remove old news, vanities and other stuff from the Breaking area to keep it clear for truly new items during this very busy time. Your item has been reloated too. They are busy enough managing this fast-growing site..why make more work for them?

59 posted on 10/07/2003 4:52:58 PM PDT by montag813 (Fire Tenet...Jail Joseph Wilson...Rally 'Round Our President, Dammit!!!)
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To: just looking
My apologies for ranting on you (despite your rude answer). You did not post this article.
60 posted on 10/07/2003 4:57:56 PM PDT by montag813 (Fire Tenet...Jail Joseph Wilson...Rally 'Round Our President, Dammit!!!)
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