Rush Limbaugh doesn't get it, never got it and never will get it. Even as he was resigning as an ESPN analyst, he was still defending himself for comments he made about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Rush says he was commenting on the media, not being racist, but that misses multiple points:
1. In no profession in America is race less of a factor than in professional sports. To imply that McNabb was a beneficiary of affirmative action in the one job in America where that is least likely to be true is not only offensive but moronic.
2. Pro sports haven't always been so color blind. Even after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, black and Latin American players continued to endure discrimination. For a school paper once, I did an informal study of a common charge at the time: Although blacks by the mid-'60s were well represented among baseball's best players (Frank Robinson, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, et al) they remained grossly underrepresented outside the star ranks. I simply counted the numbers of players in less elevated positions: backup catchers, pinch hitters, utility infielders, middle and long relievers. I can't remember the numbers anymore, but the critics were right on the money: While the best black players were getting good major league jobs, the marginal players weren't on big league rosters. There may be other possible explanations for this than racism, but I have never heard one.
3. Limbaugh didn't just insult McNabb but also sportswriters. It's a rare bird who will defend sportswriters, but call me a whooping crane. Most sportswriters are way ahead of Limbaugh: They stopped even noticing which players were black and which ones were white a couple of decades ago. That battle ended while Limbaugh was still in the 19th century. To suggest otherwise insults both their integrity and their judgment.
4. Limbaugh sees everything in the world through a political lens. It's inconceivable to him that people who disagree with him might by motivated by honest differences in opinion rather than by a desire to score political points. ESPN knew, or should have known, that when it hired him. If you want your sports served with politics, Limbaugh is your man. If you want sports pure, hire an ex-jock.
5. Most Americans want their sports pure.