# Limbaugh's Bid to Buy the St. Louis Rams **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 9, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223 "2009-10-09T18:48:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/61 "2009-10-14T15:11:09Z")
There’s no double standard. Ted Turner’s not a raving bigot. Neither is Kevin Costner. The analogies are not valid. Those guys also aren’t on the radio every day disparaging and villifying 2/3 of the American people. And Republicans do NOT watch CBS news. NOBODY watches CBS news. CBS news is not even liberal (the “liberal media” is a right wing phantasm), but conservatives don’t watch anything but Fox News anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/62 "2009-10-14T15:15:26Z")
> [@Atomicktom](#): > > FWIW, I’m in the midst of reading a book, Next Man Up, by John Feinstein, which chronicles the Baltimore Ravens season of '04 “from the inside”. One interesting notation by Feinstein is that the overwhelming majority of NFL players are conservative/republican (the book takes places, naturally, during GWB’s re-election campaign, and nearly every player supported Bush). > > Upon reflection, it’s not surprising. Players are very wealthy, and come from a background which emphasizes toughness, aggression, and simplistic platitudes that eschew nuance (anybody who’s heard a dosage of sports cliches or coach-speak knows from where I speak). Although a very superficial generalization, these are not generally liberal qualities. Thus, I actually don’t think that there would be that many players who truly oppose Rush on a political level. > > Admittedly, though, much of Rush’s “schtick” plays with the bounds of racist ideology (as an example is the OP’s quote about white kids getting beat up by black kids). As many of the players are Black, I can see some hand-wringing about that aspect. Ultimately, though, given how damn hard it is to make it in the league, and due to the potential to make a lot of money if you do stick around, I just can’t see how players would be able to justify walking away from their dream job because they don’t like one of the people who signs their check. > > From a player’s perspective, then, I consider the possibility of Rush owning the Rams a complete non-issue. …and you accuse people of not being nuanced. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > There’s no double standard. Ted Turner’s not a raving bigot. Neither is Kevin Costner. The analogies are not valid. Those guys also aren’t on the radio every day disparaging and villifying 2/3 of the American people. > > And Republicans do NOT watch CBS news. NOBODY watches CBS news. CBS news is not even liberal (the “liberal media” is a right wing phantasm), but conservatives don’t watch anything but Fox News anyway. ALL conservatives ONLY watch Fox News? All of them? All the time? ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/63 "2009-10-14T15:36:48Z")
Seems simple enough to me. Yes Rush has every right to bid on owning a piece of a sports team just like anyone else. No, he does not have a “right” to own a sports team. As noted above if you owned a business you are under no compulsion to sell to someone you do not like. If there is a Board of Directors who has the say they can likewise say no for almost any reason they like. Should the NFL prevent the sale? Well, I am betting to them it is a simple business calculation. There are lots of pricks in the NFL so what is one more? However, Rush is high profile and out there daily. He’s a lightning rod. Does the NFL ownership want that extra attention drawn their way? What if he drops another racist bomb on-air and the players get all up in arms (as an example)? If they think Rush is more a liability than asset then it makes simple business sense to tell him to piss off. If not then he is in. I seriously doubt liberal/conservative politics enters in to it. ---
**Author:** ![shallora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@shallora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shallora)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/64 "2009-10-14T17:04:02Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > There’s no double standard. Ted Turner’s not a raving bigot. Neither is Kevin Costner. And neither is Rush. Those who write such nonsense, as you have, obviously have never actually tuned into the program. If you say something enough times, people begin to believe it, no matter if it’s factual at all. This is exactly what has happened to Rush. Whether you agree with his politics or not, he is certainly not a bigot, anymore than Pelosi is a Socialist. > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > The analogies are not valid. Those guys also aren’t on the radio every day disparaging and villifying 2/3 of the American people. Citation that Rush has/is “villifying 2/3 of the American people”, please? > [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > And Republicans do NOT watch CBS news. NOBODY watches CBS news. CBS news is not even liberal (the “liberal media” is a right wing phantasm), but conservatives don’t watch anything but Fox News anyway. I’m conservative. I don’t watch Fox News. So am I a walking contradiction, in your mind, then? In fact I don’t watch hardly any TV at all, aside from weekend football games. Next! ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/65 "2009-10-14T17:11:29Z")
> [@shallora](#): > > This doesn’t prevent Republicans from tuning into TNT (owned by flamboyantly Liberal Ted Turner) > > Ted Turner also owned the Braves for many years, and I don’t recall either Republicans or Democrats being upset about that. Turner is an interesting comparison. Rich guys buy ballclubs because the rich guys have big egos and want publicity. Turner was no exception. Back when he first bought the Braves he even appointed himself manager, until the league stepped in and forbid him from doing that. At no time did he use the ballclub to promote his liberalism though. Further, once he got that all out of his system, he hired professionals and sat down, shut up, and got the heck out of their way. The only way most people remembered that he owned the Braves was when he and his then wife Jane Fonda were seen in their box seats during the playoffs and World Series. Limbaugh probably isn’t past the look at me stage, IMHO. He’d like to be an owner so he can have a bigger stage. He already demonstrated on ESPN that his brand of conservatism and world-view would be incorporated into his football view. If I was an NFL owner and there were other viable buyers for the Rams, I’d tell Limbaugh thanks but no thanks, you’re more trouble to us then you’re worth to us. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/66 "2009-10-14T17:14:58Z")
Yes, Rush is a raving bigot with a long history of “I’m not touching you” race baiting bullshit. I say he villifies 2/3 of the American people because that’s the perecentage of Americans who aren’t right wing conservatives, and he thinks anyone who isn’t a right wing conservative is his mortal enemy. The guy makes his living by demonizing minorities, GLBT people and “liberals” as a monolithic entity (when he isn’t bullying his housekeeper to go score dope for him). He’s burned his own bridges. If nobody wants to be in business with him, that’s his own fault. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/67 "2009-10-14T17:21:02Z")
> [@shallora](#): > > This doesn’t prevent Republicans from tuning into TNT (owned by flamboyantly Liberal Ted Turner) > > Ted Turner also owned the Braves for many years, and I don’t recall either Republicans or Democrats being upset about that. > > This doesn’t prevent Republicans from watching CBS News (owned by flamboyantly Liberal b.o.d.'s) > > This doesn’t prevent Republicans from enjoying the movie “Bull Durham” (starring the flamboyantly Liberal actors and director) > > This hasn’t prevented Democrats from enjoying Schwarzenegger films. > So … why the double standards, liberals? At least part of the issue is that those things are fait accompli. There’s a difference between “liberal actor who has made movies for years makes another movie” and “conservative radio host who has never been associated with football suddenly buys football team”. Also, no one is saying “well, all liberals would certainly immediately boycott all Rams games”. In fact, that’s certainly not true. The question is whether there would be enough boycotting, and (probably more significant) enough discussion of and hub bub about boycotting which distracted from the football playing; to make the whole thing a negative from the NFL’s point of view. Finally, Rush Limbaugh has a combination of prominence and being-disliked-by-his-opponents that is totally unlike any of the above people. There’s really no left wing equivalent, but the closest is probably Michael Moore. And if he tried to buy an NFL team, I’m sure the NFL would (justifiabley) have reservations about it. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/68 "2009-10-14T18:13:16Z")
> [@shallora](#): > > And neither is Rush. > > Those who write such nonsense, as you have, obviously have never actually tuned into the program. If you say something enough times, people begin to believe it, no matter if it’s factual at all. This is exactly what has happened to Rush. Whether you agree with his politics or not, he is certainly not a bigot, anymore than Pelosi is a Socialist. :dubious: Well, let’s see: He has the single most listened to radio show in the United States. His audience is [98% Caucasian](http://www.quantcast.com/rushlimbaugh.com). That does not make him a bigot by itself but it does make one wonder and want to look closer at how such a massively popular show could be so massively lopsided in its demographics. So, what does he say on his show? Here are some quotes: > [@](#): > > - You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray [the confessed assassin of Martin Luther King]. We miss you, James. Godspeed. > > - Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson? > > - Look, let me put it to you this way: the NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons. There, I said it. > > - The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies. > > - Take that bone out of your nose and call me back(to an African American female caller). > > - I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They’re interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well. I think there’s a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn’t deserve. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/69 "2009-10-14T18:21:43Z")
I think someone hit on a viable point here. Rush has a platform almost EVERYDAY, and the NFL prefers their owners to be fairly invisible (even though the Jerry Jones and the Dan Snyder’s tend not to be). There is a very high possibility that Rush wilol say something generally controversial, or may say something specific to the NFL. I could see how just on the grounds that it isn’t so much what Limbaugh says, but his platform that could lead to continual trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/70 "2009-10-14T18:24:56Z")
I think the James Earl Ray quote is spurious. He at least denies it. But there’s also “halfrican-American,” “Barack the Magic Negro,” “In Obama’s America, white kids are beaten on the bus while black kids yell, ‘right on.’” Really, there’s a laundry list of trolling, “who me,” provocative, race baiting digs that always stop just short of explicit racism. He’s obsessed with race. It’s a common theme in his drug addled, daily rants. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/71 "2009-10-14T18:25:32Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I think someone hit on a viable point here. Rush has a platform almost EVERYDAY, and the NFL prefers their owners to be fairly invisible (even though the Jerry Jones and the Dan Snyder’s tend not to be). There is a very high possibility that Rush wilol say something generally controversial, or may say something specific to the NFL. I could see how just on the grounds that it isn’t so much what Limbaugh says, but his platform that could lead to continual trouble. Yeah, think of Marge Schott x100 with her own daily radio show. I can see why the NFL would be leery of getting him on board. It’s not Limbaugh’s politics. It is his high profile, lightning rod status that worries them. As noted earlier if there were an equivalent on the left I think they’d be similarly reluctant. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/72 "2009-10-14T19:09:32Z")
only possible way I could see this working is if Limbaugh agreed to give up his radio show while an owner. That way at least the NFL wouldn’t have to worry about the latest controversial idiotic statement made by talk show host _and NFL owner_ Rush Limbaugh. I don’t think would Limbaugh would give up his show though, and even so, the damage might have already been done to the point where the NFL is not interested. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/73 "2009-10-14T19:14:28Z")
The NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, has already said that Limbaugh will not be welcome in the league. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/74 "2009-10-14T19:46:40Z")
I myself am thrilled that Rush wants to be a part of a socialistic endeavor. With revenue sharing of television receipts, visiting teams getting part of gate receipts, the draft limiting players, salary caps, and having taxes raised to support NFL stadiums rather than the owners paying, the NFL is a perfect spot for a socialist wannabe like Rush. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/75 "2009-10-14T20:31:10Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Well, let’s see: > > He has the single most listened to radio show in the United States. His audience is [98% Caucasian](http://www.quantcast.com/rushlimbaugh.com). That does not make him a bigot by itself but it does make one wonder and want to look closer at how such a massively popular show could be so massively lopsided in its demographics.: Are you saying there should be some quota enforced in talk radio audiences? What percentage of talk radio listeners are white? What percentage of blacks are conservative? Maybe you should ask these questions instead of suggesting that Limbaugh is racist or that 20 million listeners are racist for listening to his race-baiting. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > So, what does he say on his show? Here are some quotes: Did you even bother to fact-check any of these? Here…I’ll help you with your homework > **[Did Rush Limbaugh Utter All These 'Racist' Statements?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/rush-limbaugh-racist-quotes/)** > > List documents 'racist quotes' from radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. Also, here’s the transcript of the Bloods and Crips comment [http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/estack\_12\_13\_06/the\_classless\_nfl\_culture\_.guest.html](http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/estack_12_13_06/the_classless_nfl_culture_.guest.html) ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/76 "2009-10-14T20:37:44Z")
The crips and bloods was totally racist, and Rush is a racist, and plenty of his fans are racist. Like I said before. He plays an “I’m not touching you” game. It’s completely deliberate, barely coded and unmistakable. ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/77 "2009-10-14T21:00:51Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Yes, Rush is a raving bigot with a long history of “I’m not touching you” race baiting bullshit. > > I say he villifies 2/3 of the American people because that’s the perecentage of Americans who aren’t right wing conservatives, and he thinks anyone who isn’t a right wing conservative is his mortal enemy. The guy makes his living by demonizing minorities, GLBT people and “liberals” as a monolithic entity (when he isn’t bullying his housekeeper to go score dope for him). He’s burned his own bridges. If nobody wants to be in business with him, that’s his own fault. _Lone evil bad guy in the end of an extremely campy movie clap_ _Lone evil bad guy in the end of an extremely campy movie clap_ _Lone evil bad guy in the end of an extremely campy movie clap_ _Lone evil bad guy in the end of an extremely campy movie clap_ ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/78 "2009-10-14T21:04:39Z")
According to ESPN, [Rush is out](http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4559454). ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/79 "2009-10-14T21:17:37Z")
> [@yorick73](#): > > Are you saying there should be some quota enforced in talk radio audiences? What percentage of talk radio listeners are white? What percentage of blacks are conservative? Maybe you should ask these questions instead of suggesting that Limbaugh is racist or that 20 million listeners are racist for listening to his race-baiting. I stipulated that this stat, in and of itself, does not indicate that Limbaugh is a bigot. That said I bet when you see smoke you go check to see if there is a fire. There may not be but the smoke makes it worth a closer look. According to [this](http://correspondents.theatlantic.com/richard_florida/Gallup.gif) 10% of African-Americans count themselves as Republicans. 22% non-white people do. So, a lot more than 2% which includes all others except Caucasian. > [@](#): > > Did you even bother to fact-check any of these? Here…I’ll help you with your homework > > [Did Rush Limbaugh Utter All These 'Racist' Statements? | Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/limbaugh.asp) James Earl Ray one may be bogus. The rest? At best Snopes has it as undetermined. Others are factual. So most of them stand. Thanks for the help. ---
**Author:** ![yorick73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5a626/32.png) [@yorick73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yorick73)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223/80 "2009-10-14T21:49:46Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I stipulated that this stat, in and of itself, does not indicate that Limbaugh is a bigot. That said I bet when you see smoke you go check to see if there is a fire. There may not be but the smoke makes it worth a closer look. > > According to [this](http://correspondents.theatlantic.com/richard_florida/Gallup.gif) 10% of African-Americans count themselves as Republicans. 22% non-white people do. So, a lot more than 2% which includes all others except Caucasian. That 2% is the number that visit the website. Hmmm. Well 91% of those who visit air america’s website are Caucasian. I smell smoke! [http://www.quantcast.com/airamerica.com](http://www.quantcast.com/airamerica.com) 96% of those who visit The Nation are Caucasian…more smoke! [http://www.quantcast.com/thenation.com](http://www.quantcast.com/thenation.com) What percentage of non-whites are liberal? I smell racism. > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > James Earl Ray one may be bogus. The rest? At best Snopes has it as undetermined. Others are factual. So most of them stand. Thanks for the help. Undetermined as in there are no audio clips. There are websites that employ a dozen stenographers to copy every word the right wing talkers say. I guarantee you that these clips would have surfaced if they were real. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/limbaughs-bid-to-buy-the-st-louis-rams/513223.md?page=5)