How Rush Limbaugh gave America its Sundays back

Neil Braithwaite captures my family's feelings exactly in his article today in the American Thinker.  From the article:

Most Rush listeners know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he would not only be great for the St. Louis Rams' organization and its players, but also ultimately be great for the NFL. They know that Rush is a strong competitor and would bring that "must win" attitude to the NFL. His love and respect for the game, its players and organizations have been on display for all America since his radio talk show became syndicated in August 1988. If Rush had become an NFL owner, many of his loyal listeners would have to enlarge their sentimental NFL team base to include the St. Louis Rams just because of Rush. Go Rush -- go Rams!

But we dittoheads also knew there would be the usual left-wing Rush hysteria.  Braithwaite continues:

In retrospect, the vicious and slanderous attacks that poured out on Rush from the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson were to be expected. These two guys never miss an opportunity to sling a little racial slander and grab some limelight. But several liberals in the news media decided to get on board the slander train and that's when things started getting out of hand. Then some current and former NFL players along with a select group of the sports media decided to jump into the Rush feeding frenzy and things really began to go overboard. This band of ignorant and slanderous liberals attributed unthinkable racial statements to Rush without any definitive proof. The angry mob's accusations ultimately led to Rush's removal from the group bidding for the St. Louis NFL franchise.

But the story doesn't end there. Not one NFL owner or representative came out to denounce the uncivil tone and unfounded slanderous attacks made against Rush, who, as if they were too ignorant to know, happened to be one of the NFL's biggest supporters as well as a prospective owner. It was the ultimate responsibility of the NFL's commissioner, Roger Goodell, to put a stop to this nonsense. But did Goodell step forward? No. In fact, he did just the opposite and climbed on the slander train himself by saying that "divisive comments" would not be welcome in the league. Goodell's statement was reprehensible and became the straw the broke the camel's back for countless thousands of Rush supporters. It was game over -- adios NFL!

 Any long time listener of Rush Limbaugh knows that he is an avid, knowledgeable and enthusiastic fan of the National Football League.  I was really moved by his radio interview with former Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy right before the Super Bowl in January.  The interview was occasioned, in part, by the release of Dungy's book, Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance.  Here is a brief excerpt from the transcript:

RUSH: Well, let me ask you this, because I'm fascinated. You deal with professional athletes, and you've dealt with college athletes, football players, which I think football athletes are a unique group as compared to baseball or other team sports. Do you, when you look out over the country -- and I'm sure this is part of your book -- you believe that there are many more uncommonly successful people out there who are still average. They can reach uncommonness. They can reach success. They just don't quite know how or they haven't got the right mentors?


COACH DUNGY: Absolutely. I think the potential in so many, especially our young people today, I see it. They have tremendous abilities, tremendous potential, but they've kind of been given the idea that, "I can just go along with the crowd. Everyone else is doing this, so why do anything to set myself apart?" And I don't know where that comes from. That's the great thing about athletics. The guys that come to us have that drive to set themselves apart. That's what makes a Super Bowl champion. That desire that, "I don't want to come in second place. I want to do everything in my power to get to be the best," and I think if we take that attitude and point it towards significant things, not just winning football games or not just making money, we can, you know, have a country that is uncommon.

RUSH: Well, that's in fact what you want to do now that you've left the National Football League. You want to work in your ministry. You want to work with disadvantaged people and you want to try to tell them and teach them what you've learned and be their spark, correct?

COACH DUNGY: That is for me, and I saw just in the last couple of years in Indianapolis we had this past year the highest homicide rate that we've had in the summer. It was the worst three months in the history of the city. We've right now in the public school a 19% graduation rate with males in the Indianapolis public school. And I talk to these kids, and they've got so much more than that, that's available to them. I just felt like I was sitting there reaching a group that was 22 to 35 years old, and I thought I could do a little bit more in reaching guys before they got to that point and helping younger kids tap in on that potential like so many people helped me.

Rush has 20 million listeners weekly, and he invited Tony Dungy to his show to talk about his book, his ministry, and his plans to mentor students in the Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS).  Most students in IPS district are poor and black.  Does that sound like a racist to you?  Read the whole transcript here.

Today is football Sunday.  We will be watching old movies or the Game Show Network.