Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Didn't His Family Shaft Baltimore in the Middle of the Night?

Colts' owner Jim Irsay said that he will vote against any sale of the Rams that includes Rush Limbaugh as an owner.

He did say something about Limbaugh's divisive commentary.

So what do you call taking a beloved team out of an amazing football town in the middle of the night? Unifying? Uplifting? Righteous? Innovative? Thoughtful?

Hardly. That act of the Irsays was one of the most ignominious in the history of professional football, compounded by the fact that the league wasn't bright enough to keep the Colts' name and records in Baltimore.

So now, Jimmy Irsay (the son of the man who wreaked that horror on Baltimore) is now an arbiter of what's good and just after he's benefited from his father's benificence toward Baltimore. What's next, Al Davis will try to take some moral high ground and opposed Limbaugh's ownership too?

Since when have the term "character" and the term "sports team owner" been a perfect match?

I'm closing ranks here with my adopted Baltimoreans, as I have relatives who live there.

I'm not sure how I feel about Limbaugh's owning part of an NFL team (or all of one), but the opposition had better rally the most righteous of owners to lead their group. Also, as an aside, the NFL Players Association had better be careful here. It's interesting that despite failing to seriously address the issues of post-career dementia, concussions and benefits for needy former players (whose numbers grow by the day, apparently, at least according to an article in Sports Illustrated that appeared within the past six months that indicated that 75% of NFL players are broke, divorced or jobless within 5 years after leaving the game). Instead, though, they find time to express their opinion on who should be an owner.

Okay, fair enough, they're entitled, they represent the players, and the First Amendment guarantees their right to speak their minds. I get that. And Jim Irsay is saying what he thinks is right.

But would Rush Limbaugh be the NFL's biggest problem?

Not by a longshot.

2 comments:

edwin sanchez said...

No one is really a fan of Rush especially in one of the most integrated American pastimes.

SportsProf said...

Agreed, Edwin. I'm not a fan of Limbaugh's. He would be a major side show at a time when no league really needs distractions. That said, other owners are far from saints, either.