Limbaugh inappropriate, uninformed

We all knew it was coming. Rush Limbaugh, former commentator on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL… We all knew it was coming. Rush Limbaugh, former commentator on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown” said something insensitive, displayed his astounding lack of football knowledge and, resultantly, resigned from the show on Oct. 2.His remarks concerned three-time pro-bowler Donovan McNabb, quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. “The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well … he got a lot of credit … that he didn’t deserve.”

Commenting on a player’s performance is legitimate. Commenting a player’s race, as a means of discounting his performance, is not, and Limbaugh’s comments were severely out of line.

Limbaugh may not have intended to make racist comments; he remarked in a statement that they “were not racially motivated.”

But accidental racism is still racism. Remember, these remarks come from a man who once said on his show, “Have you ever noticed how all newspaper composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?”

Obviously, Limbaugh has issues with minorities. And putting him in a setting where he is discussing athletes from all different racial and cultural backgrounds invited controversy – though that seems to be what ESPN wanted.

Football – like all sports – relies on statistics to track exactly how far its players run and throw, and how much they win. By taking these quantifiable things into account, commentators can distinguish a good player from a bad one. This is not to say that football is without racial politics – but ideally, it shouldn’t be.

What Limbaugh said was reprehensible, and he was right in quitting.

Moreover, ESPN had no business putting someone so far removed from sports on a sports show. If the station wanted better ratings, it should have invested in people with actual sports expertise, rather than a man with an inflated ego and little to say about sports.

If everyone were to follow this poorly set model, Ann Coulter would be hosting Trading Spaces, and Michael Moore commenting on dog racing.

Sports has its share of controversy, without actively seeking it. Would it have been so hard to find an actual commentator – one with qualifications other than playing football in high school? Why turn the camera on someone who really has nothing to say, and does so in the most offensive way possible?