George Vs. Barra On Limbaugh

In what I promise should be my last Rush Limbaugh-related post, I found two pieces that demonstrate the stark contrast between the two camps on this issue.

For the prosecution, Robert George at Salon.com:

[L]imbaugh's analysis failed factually and ideologically. Unfortunately, in the one area where it succeeded -- injecting controversy on ESPN's pre-game set -- it introduced a particularly corrosive line of thought.

It articulated the double standard that blacks fear underlies much of American society: The successes and failures of white individuals belong to the individual ("[Jake] Plummer's a bum!" "Plummer's great!"), whereas the success and failure of a black person belongs to the race. One week ago, after a poor start to the season, McNabb was being analyzed on his football skills. Today, he is analyzed on his race.

So Limbaugh managed to do in one moment what the media has actually refrained from doing in recent years. Removing their individuality, he has effectively "adjectivized" McNabb, McNair, et al. After succeeding on their own merits, they are once again black quarterbacks for however long the media chooses to continue with this story.

And in a surprise, for the defense, Allen Barra at Slate:

Limbaugh is being excoriated for making race an issue in the NFL. This is hypocrisy. I don't know of a football writer who didn't regard the dearth of black NFL quarterbacks as one of the most important issues in the late '80s and early '90s. (The topic really caught fire after 1988, when Doug Williams of the Washington Redskins became the first black quarterback to win a Super Bowl.)

So far, no black quarterback has been able to dominate a league in which the majority of the players are black. To pretend that many of us didn't want McNabb to be the best quarterback in the NFL because he's black is absurd. To say that we shouldn't root for a quarterback to win because he's black is every bit as nonsensical as to say that we shouldn't have rooted for Jackie Robinson to succeed because he was black. (Please, I don't need to be reminded that McNabb's situation is not so difficult or important as Robinson's—I'm talking about a principle.)

Consequently, it is equally absurd to say that the sports media haven't overrated Donovan McNabb because he's black. I'm sorry to have to say it; he is the quarterback for a team I root for. Instead of calling him overrated, I wish I could be admiring his Super Bowl rings. But the truth is that I and a great many other sportswriters have chosen for the past few years to see McNabb as a better player than he has been because we want him to be.

Believe me, I'm not trying to split hairs here, but I come down in the middle on this one. I still don't believe Limbaugh is a racist, though I can understand the practical effect of his words on African-Americans who are traditionally distrustful of conservatives, especially one who hails from the Old South.

Then again, I find Barra's conclusions about McNabb a bit wanting. In his piece, Barra compares McNabb's career stats to Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brad Johnson. Never mind that for most of his career, Johnson has played in offenses far more talented and dynamic than McNabb has ever enjoyed. Over the course of his career, Johnson has run offenses that have included talents like Chris Carter, Jake Reed, Robert Smith, Randy Moss, Steven Davis, Mike Alstott and Keyshawn Johnson. That's two certain Hall of Fame caliber players, with the rest all having made Pro Bowl appearances.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, McNabb has consistently had to carry the load by himself. The only really superior players McNabb has ever had at his disposal, Antonio Freeman and Dorsey Levens, were well past their primes when they came to play in Philadelphia. McNabb is a one-man show in Philly, and consequently, when he has a bad game, the effects are outsized.

Primary assist on Barra's story to the guys at Football Outsiders. Check them out.

UPDATE: Check out The Corner at National Review for more from George and the rest of the crew over there.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Readers at Slate are taking pot-shots at Barra too.

Eric 11:12 PM

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Now that the dust is starting to settle a bit from the scandal surrounding Rush Limbaugh's comments last Sunday on NFL Countdown, I thought I might add a thought or two before the issue becomes totally passé. For those that... [Read More]

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» Limbaugh Redux from shonk::selling waves
Now that the dust is starting to settle a bit from the scandal surrounding Rush Limbaugh's comments last Sunday on NFL Countdown, I thought I might add a thought or two before the issue becomes totally passe. For those that... [Read More]

Tracked on December 11, 2003 01:57 AM

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