We've now established that Rush Limbaugh cannot own an NFL team given
his "unacceptable" (read: conservative) political comments. What about
sports figures, executives and commentators who offer their left-leaning
political thoughts?
Many of us turn to the sports pages before the news section. For just a
moment, we can put aside worries about the economy, Iraq, Afghanistan,
ObamaCare, the "peril" of "global warming," government bailouts and the
feds' borrowing and spending.
In sports, we want to read or hear about who ran the fastest, scored the
most points, defeated the opponent. In sports, there is an oasis —
until anti-GOP, anti-Bush, anti-conservative comments slap us.
National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern was asked
whether Kobe Bryant should continue to play while being prosecuted for
rape. Stern responded: "Absolutely. We don't have a Patriot Act in the
NBA. That means that you're innocent until proven guilty." What does the
Patriot Act —passed to fight terrorism — have to do with the
presumption of innocence or guilt?
New York Times sports writer George Vecsey wrote about how the French
handled the allegation that cyclist Lance Armstrong used
performance-enhancing drugs. Vecsey wrote, "Personally, I think the
French have linked Armstrong with George W. Bush, surely a disservice to
the cyclist." Nice.
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Stephen A. Smith — the usually insightful and entertaining ESPN analyst
— in an appearance on Chris Matthews' MSNBC show, said, "(Republican
former New York Mayor Rudolph) Giuliani is a dictator." Oh.
New York Times sports writer Harvey Araton, in an article about friction
between two U.S. Olympic speedskaters, wrote, "At the root of the
conflict is (one skater's) belief that (the other skater) has been
attempting to swift boat him." You see, "Swift boating," to many
liberals, has now become a synonym for "lying." Never mind that the real
"Swift boaters" were ex-military men raising legitimate points about the
military record of former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.
Bryant Gumbel, on his HBO "Real Sports" program, said that he wouldn't
watch the Winter Olympics. Gumbel said, "Try not to laugh when someone
says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of
blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention." Gumbel,
too, finds soccer boring because he knows "that in soccer they score
about as often as Ann Coulter makes sense."
When then-Gov. and GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin attended
a hockey game in Philadelphia, The New York Times posted a story from a
hockey blogger, who wrote, "Palin ... was greeted by resounding (almost
deafening) boos from the Flyers crowd." Really? The Associated Press
wrote: "The Alaska governor and self-described 'hockey mom' heard a few
boos when she walked onto the ice, but that soon turned to polite
applause. ... Palin waved to the crowd and smiled as she dropped the
puck to applause and cheers." (Maybe Palin attended two different
games.) At least the Times quickly pulled down and replaced its post
with a more accurate version.
Norman Chad, a syndicated sports columnist, bemoaned the dearth of black
sports editors and staff. He asserted, "We're whiter than Newt
Gingrich's Fourth of July barbecue."
Maxim magazine asked NBA basketball superstar LeBron James, "If there
was one guy on the planet you could dunk on, who would it be?" James
responded: "If it doesn't have to be a basketball player, George W.
Bush. I would dunk on his ass, break the rim, and shatter the glass."
Bush's sport was baseball. Wouldn't former prep-school baller President
Barack Obama present a bigger challenge?
Popular television sports analyst and former NBA star Charles Barkley
said, "I was a Republican until they lost their minds." He also offered
that only two presidents in his lifetime — Clinton and Carter — had
ever done anything for black people.
Nation magazine's sports editor, Dave Zirin, condemned Limbaugh's
interest in purchasing an NFL team as "having somebody in an NFL owner's
box who (players) know views them with naked and open contempt because
of the color of their skin."
John Salley, former NBA player and co-host of Fox Sports' "Best Damn
Sports Show Period," said in an appearance on a podcast: "I have a
question: Do you hate Obama? Why are so many people — who now hate him
— after just 266 days they loved him? (sic) All of white America. Not
all of 'em but the majority." So, opposition to policies equals "hate."
New York Times sports columnist Selena Roberts, when it became
increasingly clear that Duke lacrosse players were innocent of rape,
channeled her inner Dan my-facts-are-wrong-but-my-point's-valid Rather:
"What happens if all the charges are dismissed? There is ... the
irrefutable culture of misogyny, racial animus and athlete entitlement
that went unrestrained that night." Hey, they were falsely accused, but,
well, let's examine the big picture.
Now then — if it's not too much to ask — how did the Yanks do last night?
