I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
The Rush Limbaugh/Donovan McNabb row from 2003 will always be the most unheralded case of media malpractice in history. The last line of Rush’s ESPN observations about the spotlight on then Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb was intentionally cut out of every subsequent broadcast of his comments.
That last line was important, because it made clear that Rush was engaged in praise, not criticism. It also made clear his topic was the media, not McNabb himself. But to make Rush look bad, one had to delete his last sentence, and every media outlet did so to support a false charge of racism.
Let me set the stage as it was back in’03. Donovan McNabb was the highest paid player in NFL history. He was in a multitude of commercials. Coverage of him was so positive that McNabb became the classic media darling.
The problem was — he was playing poorly. He had the lowest QB rating in the NFL. His team had a losing record and his offense was ranked #31 in the league.
The ESPN producers (not Rush) decided to have the analysts talk about the disconnect between McNabb’s popularity and McNabb’s performance.
It wasn’t Rush who brought it up. The other analysts spoke first. No one called Michael Irving a racist when he agreed with Rush. No one called Steve Young a racist when he suggested Koy Detmer as a better QB than McNabb.
Here is exactly what Rush said and note well the topic is media investment in McNabb:
I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well.
That’s all every media outlet would play of the clip. The media’s assertion was that Rush was being racist even though Rush didn’t say anything about McNabb’s performance in relation to his skin color. He commented on media fawning in relation to McNabb’s skin color.
The media wanted revenge and yelled “Racism!” louder than anyone else could yell, “Play the rest of Rush’s statement!”
So what did Rush say later in the transcript? Here is the exchange, widely suppressed,[1] between Rush and Tom Jackson about the media investment in McNabb:
TOM JACKSON: So Rush, once you make that investment though, once you make that investment in him, that's a done deal.
RUSH: I'm saying it's a good investment. Don't misunderstand.
Start…the…presses. Not only was Rush not being critical of McNabb, he wasn’t even criticizing the media. He said their investment in McNabb, their desire to see a league dominant black quarterback, was “a good investment.”
It would be impossible to paint Rush as a racist if the clip played included his statement that the media rooting for a black QB was a “good” thing.
Of course it was. The integration of black athletes into the quarterback spot didn’t occur in earnest until the latter part of the 20th Century. Rush was being a good American in noting that and rooting for the end of quarterback apartheid in the NFL, and more to the point, to acknowledge the media was rightly rooting for it too. It can only help the black individual to know that another part of racism has gone away. Whether they want to admit it or not, Rush’s detractors were railing against a pro-integration comment.
To show Rush’s sincerity, find if you can (but I doubt you can) Rush’s ESPN commentary from the week before the McNabb row. Rush’s topic was the need for more blacks in front offices in the NFL. Oh what a racist.
Yet, in a news world run by liberals, you can not point out that it is OK for media to root for a league dominant black quarterback. Unless of course you are one of the liberal media yourself, like the Washington Post. Then it’s Ok.
As a Jet fan, this brings me to Tim Tebow. He is a great quarterback precisely because he plays “different.” Guys like Randall Cunningham and Michael Vick were the first time we saw a tailback in the QB spot and watching them run circles around the defense was exciting. Tebow is the first fullback in a QB spot. Watching him lower his shoulder and plow through defensive lineman is just as exciting. He is also a fourth quarter savant, the same reason why New York loves Eli Manning. He’s got the football chops.
Yet there is that other thing – Tim Tebow’s unashamed Christianity. I love it. There isn’t enough of it. Christians have become accustomed to whispering our faith when we should be heralding it with glorious exhilaration. We need to help ourselves by pushing back against anti-Christian bigotry.
Yes, I’m happy to say it - I’d like to see a league dominant Christian athlete. Yes I’d like to see the media join me in that (but I won’t hold my breath).
Tim Tebow can’t guarantee football success because he is a Christian, but his faith can help him personally do his best (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:13).
To see him do well while being very public in his praise of the Lord is something this country needs more of, so I root for him not just because he is a great quarterback, not just because he is a Jet, and not just because he is a Christian.
I root for him because I’m a Christian. It helps me.
[1] When I wrote about this topic back in 2009, I could not find a complete transcript anywhere. ESPN does not release them. I wrote to them and asked. I advertised on my blog that I needed a complete transcript. Someone named “ebounding” responded to me and said they uploaded it to YouTube. Whether “ebounding” works for ESPN and was responding to my request I still don’t know. The video is here.
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Comments:
Jul '10
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
Aaron Rodgers is already a league dominant Christian. Kurt Warner was outspoken on his Christianity during his career. Reggie White was so well known for his faith that he was called the Minister of Defense. Tebow is nothing new in that regard.
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
What's new is the resentment of him for it. The others didn't suffer that.
May '10
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
I can guarantee you that if “ebounding” does work for ESPN, they would fire him if they knew he had uploaded their copyrighted material onto YouTube.
We touched on the ESPN/Rush brouhaha during the Jeremy Linn headline imbroglio. Most journalists and broadcast producers who proclaim their "courage" and "being on the cutting edge" are usually neither.
Jul '10
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
Not to the degree, but I think Kurt Warner was close. It seems to me that some of the reaction at least is how Tebow presents himself as opposed to the others. Rodgers does not make a habit of talking about his faith unless directly asked citing St Francis of Assissi as a role model. I don't think Tebow is insincere at all (I root for him), but I do question if his actions like dropping to a knee all the time doesn't draw attention to Tebow instead of Jesus. If that is the case, he might want to think about how he presents himself.
Kurt Warner had this to say when asked about his own experience in the NFL:
May '10
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
Rodgers took over an already successful team. Tebow took a floundering Denver franchise and got them into the postseason. The former was supposed to succeed, the latter's success was resented.
Tebow's success was the failure of a lot people. All of those that said Tebow couldn't play at that level were proven wrong. People that are proven wrong are proven ignorant. People don't like that. And then, on top of all of that, to claim his faith was part of his success! That's too much.
Sep '10
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
EJHill
Rodgers took over an already successful team. Tebow took a floundering Denver franchise and got them into the postseason. The former was supposed to succeed, the latter's success was resented.
Tebow's success was the failure of a lot people. All of those that said Tebow couldn't play at that level were proven wrong. People that are proven wrong are proven ignorant. People don't like that. And then, on top of all of that, to claim his faith was part of his success! That's too much. · 16 minutes ago
I'm not saying the circumstances are the same as with Tebow, but there were plenty of fans and media members invested in Rodgers' failure. Before Brett texted his legacy into the gutter, and before Super Bowl XLV, a lot of people around here still wanted Ted Thompson's head on a stick.
Apr '11
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
Tommy De Seno
What's new is the resentment of him for it. The others didn't suffer that. · 38 minutes ago
The resentment has been pretty outspoken for Tebow, up to the point that I was afraid I'd have to start rooting for the Broncos. Thanks Denver, for solving that problem for me! Granted, that's made a new dilemma about rooting for New York. I'm a Midwest football fan at heart, alas.
The resentment remains, and I've seen a few comments and articles mocking Tebow's current situation and his faith.
Oct '11
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
Thanks Tommy, you are so right in so many ways it is hard to specify except by THANKS....
Jan '11
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
Please correct former Dallas Cowboy Michael Irvin's last name.
May '11
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
Great quarterback? Look at his statistics. Sorry but Tebow is just not a very good quarterback. He had some very good moments late in games but the fact that the Denver offense produced so few points earlier in the game is what made the games so close in the first place.I think a lot of the resentment of Tebow is based on the too-high ratio of hype to performance. I do think that he would make an excellent tight end.
Apr '11
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
Religious Bigot!
Wait, did I get that right?
Mar '11
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
I used to devour ESPN's NFL pre-game coverage. That is, until the disgraceful way ESPN threw Rush under the bus after the McNabb incident. It was disgusting to watch how all the other analysts on the show distanced themselves from Rush the week after he was fired by ESPN; one after another, they each pathetically made their cases as to how they were not individually racist (unlike Rush, of course) and never wanted Rush on the show to begin with. I swore that I would never watch their pre-game again after their performance. I am proud to report that 9 years later, I haven't.
Apr '11
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
I root for Tebow too. It's not that I really like him all that much, but all the right people hate him.
Dec '11
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
EJHill
Tebow's success was the failure of a lot people. All of those that said Tebow couldn't play at that level were provenwrong. People that are proven wrong are proven ignorant. People don't like that.
EJ, please explain further. I respect your sports acumen but I also respect John Elway. What's the skinny?
Oct '10
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
My father has been a Florida Gators fan his entire life and it rubbed off on me even though I didn't attend Florida.
I still remember hearing about this kid from Jacksonville who was running up big numbers in high school and thinking about attending UF.
http://goo.gl/FSmPK
Oct '10
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
Tebow has won more playoff games that that prototypical QB Matt Ryan (kills me to say that, being a BC alum). Tebow also was, for all practical purposes, a ROOKIE. Of course he's not "great." Name 5 QBs who were great in their rookie years. Can't do it. Seems a lot of the resentment and criticism completely ignores this fact. So he's not a good passer. That can be taught and learned. Being a leader, being of good character, those things can't be taught nearly as easily. And he's got both in spades.
Oct '10
Re: I Will Root For Tebow Like The Media Rooted For Donovan McNabb (In Other Words, Rush Was Right)
EThompson
EJHill
Tebow's success was the failure of a lot people. All of those that said Tebow couldn't play at that level were provenwrong. People that are proven wrong are proven ignorant. People don't like that.
EJ, please explain further. I respect your sports acumen but I also respect John Elway. What's the skinny? · 14 hours ago
What are Elway's successes off the field? What's to respect?