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Thursday
May 2 2024
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PREVIOUS SPORTS
• Sideline: Yes, Non–Conference Games DO Count
• NCAA Preview 2009
• Sideline: Time For The Talking To Stop
• Sideline: In Memory of Air McNair
• Sideline: Will Goodell Hand Out Hard Time?
• Sideline: Marshall's Not Joshing
• NFL Draft: No Rush To Judgment
• NFL Draft Analysis 2009 (Part 2)
• Sideline: NFL Draft Thoughts (Part 2)
• Sideline: NFL Draft Thoughts
• Sideline: Will Play For Food
• Sideline: Wonderlic Scores
• Sideline: Manning and Sanchez
• Sideline: 2010 Leagues Sci–fi, or Fantasy? / March Madness
• Sideline: Break Out The Brackets
• Sideline: LaDainian Tomlinson On The Record
• Sideline: The Incredible Sulk Continues
• Sideline: Guildford Heat Fired Up
• Sideline: Super Bowl thoughts from the Valley of the Sun
• Sideline: I know I came in here for something
• Sideline: College Football National Signing Day
• Sideline: 27 Points — 27 Super Bowl thoughts
• Sideline: An Epic QB Matchup?
• Sideline: Appreciating Arizona for What They Were
• Sideline: NFL Divisional Weekend Preview
• Sideline: Bowl Season Hangover
• Sideline: Six weeks Later
• Sideline: Wildcard Weekend Preview
• Sideline: Santa's Sackings
• Sideline: A Weis Decision ...for Now
• Sideline: Eye on the Ticker
• Sideline: Lions — An Anagram of Losin
• Sideline: Ready for the Turkey
• Sideline: Making it to the Big Dance
• Sideline: Brighter Days Ahead for Chargers?
• Sideline: Unnecessary Hits To The Pocket / Upset: BYU
• Sideline: Romo's Pause / Seattle Seahawks
• Sideline: Weekend Prep: Red River and More
• Sideline: College Football's 'Crossroads' Weekend
• Sideline: Gramatical Error
• Sideline: Turning The Page
• Sideline: So Cal 'Quizzed
• Sideline: 3rd Tuesday Panic / Forté Yard Dash
• Sideline: Two and Oh; Oh and Two
• Sideline: No More NCAAffeine
• Sideline: Week 1 College Football
• Sideline: How To Spell Heisman / Chad Ocho Cinco
• Sideline: A Second Slice
• Sideline: The Favre story STILL won't go away
• Sideline: Olympic Notes / Ricky's Still Relevant
• Sideline: Committee Meetings
• Sideline: Let the QB Battles Begin
• Sideline: Slinging The Slinger — More Favre
• Interview: Clint Dempsey
• Sideline: Welcome to the 2008 season
• Sideline: Plus One
• 2008 NFL Draft Review
• Sideline: Draft: The Morning After
• Sideline: Draft: Thinking the Unthinkable
• Sideline: Draft: Ready For The Long Haul
• Sideline: Sofa–bound Sport
• Sideline: Post–Winter Wonderland
• Sideline: Six Impossible Things
• Sideline: Brady's Misdirection Play
• Sideline: Colorful Language
• Sideline: Let the Romo–bashing begin
• Sideline: Bowl Bites: The Wrap
• Sideline: All About The Coaches
• Sideline: Bowl Bites 3
• Sideline: Bowl Bites 2
• Sideline: Bowl Bites 1
• Sideline: Coach Situations Vacant
• Sideline: For Some, The Playoffs Are Now
• Sideline: A Certain Lack Of Welcome
• Sideline: Unrelated Notes
• Sideline: Two Thanksgiving thoughts
• Sideline: Halftime: NFC
• Sideline: Halftime: AFC
• Sideline: London / A Tale of Two Chads / Intimidation
• Sideline: Damp Squib / Other London Notes
• Sideline: Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em / Dolphins – The Aftermath
• Sideline: The Dolphins Did What?
• Sideline: Notes on the Defenses
• Sideline: Habits to be Broken
• Sideline: Overtime
• Sideline: This Week's Starters
• Sideline: USF: Covering The Spread / Fantastic Football
• Sideline: Grossman: The Final Act? / McNabb, the Epilogue
• Sideline: Eagles QB in Slight Controversy
• Sideline: Leftwich's Parting Gift / Boos cruise
• Sideline: Notre Dame M.I.A.
• Sideline: Looking Beyond NFL Wk. 1
• Sideline: Best Hope For Heisman
• Sideline: Coaching Hot Seats / AP Poll Feeling ’Appy
• Sideline: The NFL’s Prime Cuts
• Sideline: Michigan Falls to Killer Apps
• Sideline: Look Out Couch / The Taint's On You, Bud
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SPORTS
SIDELINE
Observations, Opinion & Occasional Silliness by Richard L Gale
EAGLES QB IN SLIGHT CONTROVERSY
The reaction to Donovan McNabb’s comments
on HBO’s Real Sports – that black quarterbacks are criticized
more than white quarterbacks – surprised me a little, but in
the end, cheered me a little.
To start with, I was surprised that he’d
raise the issue at all. At 0–2, the Eagles QB needed to be
concentrating on football, not generating distractions, I thought to
myself.
I was also surprised he’d touch on the
issue considering the Eagles were also struggling at 0–2 in 2003 when
Rush Limbaugh commented on McNabb: "The media has been very
desirous that a black quarterback do well ... he got a lot of credit
for the performance of this team that he didn’t deserve."
I remember that edition of ESPN’s Sunday
NFL Countdown vividly. Limbaugh was the new regular on the show, a
squeeze–box of opinions employed presumably for just the sort of
comments that would generate discussion. I perceived too a kind of
awkward pause in the studio when he had finished. It was momentary –
but it was deafening. Limbaugh was quickly gone.
Since McNabb's recent(ish) comments, I have discovered that things were
not entirely as they appeared. For one thing, McNabb’s comments had been
selected from a wide-ranging interview, and recorded weeks earlier.
The timing, as well as the presentation of McNabb’s comments, were HBO’s
choice. Once again, it seems as if words have been delivered to provoke debate.
In 2003, the Eagles went go on to win their division and progress to the NFC
championship game. This week, the Eagles will play the Detroit Lions. It
will be interesting to see whether the Eagles – and McNabb in particular –
take the opportunity to bounce back in a similar fashion.
As Donovan McNabb told the Philadelphia
Daily News after Limbaugh’s 2003 claims, "It’s sad that you’ve
got to go to skin color. I thought we were through with that whole
deal."
I thought we were too. But now that McNabb
HAS gone there – bidden or unbidden – the fact that the debate
hasn’t really taken off this time just may be a sign of progress.
It’s been called a ‘controversy’, but it hasn’t soared, it hasn’t
sold – it’s just been reported. Nearly every media observer has
reacted with a response not far from "Well, if that’s the way he
feels..." and left it at that.
(At least as long as he beats the Lions).
Attention–seeking:
Approaching a million visitors have already seen this and similar clips of Mike
Gundy, Football Coach of Oklahoma State, ripping a local columnist
for her criticism of one of his players last week:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoMmbUmKN0E&mode=related&search=
While Gundy does seem a little off the deep
end, I think I’m probably with him on this. But why on earth did he
give columnist Jenni Carlson and The Oklahoman so much attention? Now
a little–known columnist and her sports editor are about a thousand
times more famous than they were two weeks ago (er... by the way, if
there’s any mothers out there that have a fat kid that needs berating
in public, please get in touch now).
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