I am not sure why Rush Limbaugh would want to own an NFL team. It is surely more fun to criticize the establishment on a daily basis than to become part of it. Leaving that aside, the last person in the world who should have a say in the matter is Al Sharpton. (The next to last is his mentor Jesse Jackson.)
Sharpton has written a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying the NFL should reject Limbaugh’s bid. Yesterday the New York Times actually referred to Sharpton’s group, the National Action Network, as “a civil rights organization,” demonstrating the legitimacy that Sharpton has somehow come to enjoy in recent years. Let’s see if Goodell will further elevate Sharpton’s stature by responding in a serious way.
As we documented in Special Report earlier this year, Sharpton is unapologetic about the Tawana Brawley hoax. He is a racial agitator and divider, and he has proved it time and time again, from claiming “the boyfriend did it” in the Central Park wilding case, to inciting anti-Jewish rage in Crown Heights, to the Freddie’s Fashion Mart tragedy where his ugly words preceded the violence that claimed eight lives. Click here or on the cover to the right to download a 50-page pdf version.
Sundays (and Monday nights) are for me and many other Americans a welcome respite from what’s on the news all week. It would truly be a shame if the NFL caves to the racial hustlers. Some people may not like Rush Limbaugh’s politics, but he is a highly successful individual and has every right to try to buy a team.
If Rush is “political,” Steelers’ owner Dan Rooney is even more so, serving in the Obama administration as Ambassador to Ireland. Rooney is also the sponsor of the Rooney Rule, which has sent the NFL down the road of racial preferences. If the concern is that Rush would bring his “politics” into the NFL, Rooney has already done so, and in a most unfortunate way, given the fact that the NFL is about as close to a true meritocracy as you can get.
Rooney and his family, who inherited their money, are rich. They have become richer through their close relationships with Pennsylvania politicians who provide all kinds of taxpayer subsidies to the Steelers and the stadium in which they play. The Rooneys are not unique in this regard, but if we are looking for objectionable situations involving NFL team ownership, this merits more attention than the prospect of Rush Limbaugh buying a team.
Related:
The ‘Rooney Rule’: Pro Football’s Affirmative Action Deception