NFL Countdown new host: Rush

[bbart4]

From Reuters via Yahoo:

Radio Host Limbaugh Joins ESPN's 'NFL Countdown' (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=638&ncid=579&e=5&u=/nm/20030714/en_nm/television_limbaugh_dc)

Now tell me why this would make any sense??!! If this turns out to be more than a novelty attempt, will we be seeing more political commentators polluting sports programs? That would be the last thing I need...

[Neurotik]

Why not? They had Miller on MNF and they had Jimmy Kimmel on Fox. If he sticks to football, how is it polluting the sports program?

[lieu]

Whatcha wanna bet he breaks to the right?

[Duke]

Even though I'm sick of Rush's voice (there are a couple of "Dittoheads" in the office here), this liberal is not concerned. Rush's TV show was a bit of a bomb, and ABC/Disney has little interest in alienating a chunk of their viewership by letting Rush spout off on politics. It's a lose-lose situation if he does: few Rush fans would tune in for a couple of minutes to watch him talk football-laced politics when they can listen to him five days a week for three hours, and a lot of people who disagree with him will turn off ESPN for Fox Sports Net (hmmm....maybe no improvement politcally there).

Actually, the citation of Miller and Kimmel there bodes badly for Rush. Miller was never really liked at MNF (I could never figure out what he was supposed to provide--comic relief? A different perspective? Choice rants?) and Kimmel was flat-out annoying on Fox. It's easy to be a football commentator, but damn hard to be a good football commentator. I suspect Rush will find this out in a hurry.

[bordelond]

bbart, a minor quibble -- Ruh isn't going to be "the host" of the show. He's going to have a few dedicated segments to offer "voice of the fan" perspectives.

Rush's role on Sunday NFL Contdown sounds similar to the role Larry King had on NBC's NFL pre-game show in the '80s. King gave solid commentary on pro football -- so much so that I thought King was a football guy. It suprised me a bit when our family got cable and I saw King hosting his own general-interest talk show on CNN.

[bbart4]

Why not? They had Miller on MNF and they had Jimmy Kimmel on Fox.

Miller didn't do well and the jury is still out on Kimmel. And these guys are comedians. Comedy might work with sports.

If he [Rush] sticks to football, how is it polluting the sports program?

If he sticks to football, what's the point in having him?

[bbart4]

bbart, a minor quibble -- Ruh isn't going to be "the host" of the show.

Thx for the correction and sorry for the misleading title.

The thing is if I am watching the program I want solid commentaries from sports folks. I don't mind once in a while if they have celebrity guests. But why have him for the whole season?

IMO, Miller and Kimmel were funny once in while but I don't see them as "regulars" material.

[Duke]

Originally posted by bbart4
If he sticks to football, what's the point in having him? Well, they say he's knowledgeable about football, though who knows if "they" are right. He used to work in the Kansas City Royals office, though, so he has a sports background.

Personally, I think it might be better if certain political types stuck to sports. Penn State fans--remember JoePa's lament: "How could Nixon know so much about football in 1969 and so little about Watergate in 1973?"

[Slacker]

The problem is that it's a publicity stunt, and the true fans who just want to see some football have to endure this kind of nonsense to get to the good stuff. Check out King Kaufman's column about Rush's new gig:

from Salon.com (http://www.salon.com/news/sports/col/kaufman/2003/07/15/tuesday/index.html)
"I am not a quote unquote sports journalist," he said on a conference call Monday, and I should point out that starting with this paragraph, the quotes in this story are real. "I'm not running around reporting events. I'm watching it just like the fans do ... For the most part I'm simply going to bring the perspective of the guy watching."

What's funny about that is that "the guy watching" is the guy who gets screwed by moves like ESPN's hiring of Rush Limbaugh. Because ESPN doesn't care about the guy watching. The guy, or gal, ESPN is interested in is the one who isn't watching, but might. ESPN wants him or her to watch. That's why TV networks, like every other sporting enterprise, spend so much time catering to nonfans.

And I agree with the above, while I'm a huge fan of Dennis Miller, I think both his and Jimmy Kimmel's (who I think is about as funny as a sack of dirt) involvements in broadcasting were unmitigated disasters. Any of these songs and dances designed to lure in the new viewers will likely end the same.