Of Course Rush Limbaugh Shouldn't Own An NFL Team

There are a lot of players in Rush Limbaugh's three-ring circus PR fest. Rush announced that he is part of a team that wants to purchase the St. Louis Rams. Notice I said he announced it. The man is a master media manipulator. Everyone has a role to play and so far there have been award-winning performances.

NFL players: I go back and forth on whether athletes should open their mouths for social causes. If they are willing to do the research and be well-informed then so be it, even if I don't agree. Some black players have already said they wouldn't play for the Rams if Rush is an owner. I do wonder why they don't seem to have a problem with dog fighters, wife beaters, drunk drivers and just all around criminals. There have been over 500 arrests of NFL players over recent years. They should speak on that too.

The Reverends: Al and Jesse are against the idea of Rush owning any scintilla of an NFL organization. The reverends have their hustle. They don't want to see Rush associated with the NFL so they are speaking out on it. Squeaky wheel gets the oil. Look everyone is always quick to think certain things are too insignificant to warrant harsh opposition. Everything always seems trivial until it isn't.

The Reverend-haters: I don't know what bothers this group more: the reverends or the fact that they don't have the clout, guts or smarts to do what the reverends do for the sake of their own cause. Even white men on sports radio, apparently well-versed on the ills of the black community, feel black male violence should draw the attention of the "leaders" and not Rush Limbaugh.

NFL owners: Indianapolis Colts' owner Jim Irsay said he won't vote for any ownership team that includes Rush Limbaugh. Sure there have been owners in the past that have said and done incendiary things such as Cincinnati Reds' owner Marge Schott and Washington Redskins' owner George Marshall Preston. And yes, I'm willing to bet there are current owners who probably share some of Rush's beliefs. They have the benefit of not having a radio show on which to pontificate on a daily basis.

But that doesn't mean owners should just let in all the loose cannons. I don't recall Mark Cuban saying anything too controversial and MLB rejected his bid to own the pathetically run Chicago Cubs organization. Howard Milstein tried to buy the Redskins but was rejected for, among a handful of things, being just a little too quick to sue. In the end this is about money.

Roger Goodell and the NFL: For all my issues with the NFL one thing I've always acknowledged is that they are in full control of their brand. This is a league that fines players over not wearing their socks appropriately. Instead of David Sterns' ridiculous dress code in the NBA, the NFL knows what is really important - how the players behave, not what they wear. Dictator Goodell saw that his league had a problem. He's willing to punish players before they are convicted of a crime because they put themselves (and his league) in a bad spot. have you ever read an article about a criminal player that didn't include the name of his team? Of course not and neither has Goodell. This is a highly successful brand, billions annually, that doesn't need the attention Rush Limbaugh brings. There are plenty of billionaires who are willing and able to buy an NFL franchise.

So no, of course the NFL shouldn't allow Rush Limbaugh to be a minority in any of its team. But not because of politics, because of business.