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Tim O'Brien: Let Limbaugh buy the Rams

By Tim O'Brien

Last update: October 19, 2009 - 10:53 AM

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LET RUSH BUY THE RAMS

He'll fit right in the fraternity

What a tragedy it is that Rush Limbaugh will not be an owner of the St. Louis Rams.

Imagine the fun his detractors could have had. They could joke that the team's new uniforms would be white sheets. He could help the organization save money by dipping into his own stash of painkillers, they would guffaw.

It's for these reasons that the NFL pushed back against the Dave Checkett ownership group's inclusion of the conservative talker in its expected effort to purchase the team. Rush's long track record of racially charged and controversial statements would give the league the kind of attention it hates. And the front office of the most image-conscious of all sports leagues have not forgotten Limbaugh's remark that "[t]he NFL all too often looks like a game between the Bloods and the Crips without any weapons."

Sure, Rush is obnoxious, offensive and a jerk. But let's face it: Those seem to be the prerequisites for owning a pro sports franchise.

For most, a vanity purchase would be a back-yard swimming pool, a trip to Europe or a nice sports car. But for those bestowed with the right amount of money and an overwhelming ego, why buy a Jaguar when you can buy the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Accordingly, sports has seen plenty of offensive characters in the owner's box -- Charlie Finley, Mark Cuban, Norm Green (remember him?), Jerry Jones and Al Davis. These are owners who made you love the game even more because you hated them so much.

Football is big business; Rush's cash is green, so it shouldn't matter what he really thinks about blacks.

So free Rush Limbaugh. Take his money and let him in the NFL fraternity. It will give us one more reason to hate him and the Rams.

TIM O'BRIEN

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