Limbaugh: Criticism of his NFL Ownership Bid is About Smearing Conservatism

Last updated on August 10th, 2014 at 05:07 pm

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On his radio show today Rush Limbaugh continued to make the criticism of his ownership bid for St. Louis Rams political. Limbaugh said, “This is all about smearing mainstream traditional conservatism, and I El Rushbo, happen to be the most prominent voice for mainstream traditional conservatism.”

Here is the audio courtesy of Media Matters:

Limbaugh said, “Look, let’s cut to the chase here folks, let’s cut to the chase. I can think of no liberal no matter how foul mouthed, no matter how hateful, in entertainment, or outside of entertainment who would be banned from being part of an NFL ownership group. I can’t think one liberal inside or outside entertainment, foul mouthed, can’t think of one liberal who would even be treated like this. This is all about smearing mainstream traditional conservatism, and I El Rushbo, happen to be the most prominent voice for mainstream traditional conservatism.”

If I was a St. Louis Rams fan, I would not want Limbaugh either after listening to this little rant, because it is clear that he can’t separate his politics from his NFL bid. This is not about conservatism. This is about letting a man who has a history of race based rhetoric and politics own an NFL team. I can assure you that it isn’t Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson that are pushing NFL owners away from Limbaugh. It is simply the fact that NFL does not want to associate its brand with his divisiveness.

I can think of lots of liberals that the NFL would not want. Do you think that the owners would like Michael Moore owning a team? He brings controversy with him too. I don’t think the NFL would Sharpton representing the league. Rush’s whole framing of this as an attack of conservatism is hilarious because, the NFL is uber conservative. This is a league that shuns controversy so much that it only runs oldies acts as its Super Bowl half time shows after the Janet Jackson incident.

The criticism and skittishness towards his bid is based on Rush’s own history. I think the Donovan McNabb comments that got him fired from ESPN are still fresh in the league’s mind. Limbaugh can’t control himself. He couldn’t resist making this thing political, and all about him. The NFL wants its owners to stay out of the spotlight and avoid controversy. These are the two things that Rush Limbaugh can’t do.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association