Rush Limbaugh is one of the most polarizing figures in the media today. He wants to become a minority owner of the St. Louis Rams. He has yet to make a formal bid for the team, but the media is buzzing about reasons why he shouldn’t be the owner. They start talking about politics and past racial remarks that he made on national television, but they are forgetting one crucial reason why he’ll never be an owner in any major sport.
It’s been a few years, but Rush Limbaugh has had a drug-riddled past. It started in 2003 when he admitted that he was addicted to oxycontin and hydrocodone. He went to rehab and then in 2005 he was under investigation for “doctor shopping” and it was rumored that he took hundreds of pain killers a day to sustain his habit. The NFL doesn’t anyone that has been linked to drugs in any management position with a team. They had problems with cocaine and steroids in the past and they have went out of their way to clean up the sport. Roger Goodell has taken extra steps in coming down hard on players who get into legal issues or conduct that may bring the NFL into the spotlight in a negative way.
I know his past of making insensitive racial remarks could be a reason why he wouldn’t be voted in as an owner, but I feel that his drug-related not-so-recent past is the biggest reason. You could even make an argument that his prominent role in the Republican party could be an asset in getting voted in by the owners. A recent poll said that team owners are predominantly Republican, even though the players are mostly Democrat. I’m a Democrat and I know that I have worked for Republican business owners in the past, it shouldn’t be a big deal, but when your owner is on the radio daily throwing his venom all across the airwaves, it’s hard to ignore. He would have a hard time getting players to sign, even if they would open up their pocket book.
The St. Louis Rams is a team that is in danger of getting moved to another city. If Rush Limbaugh’s group did end up buying them, it was 100% assure that the team would have to stay in St. Louis. The majority person in his group is the owner of the St. Louis Blues, which rules states that he couldn’t move. If I lived in St. Louis and loved the Rams, I would put politics aside and back this possible bid. Dave Checketts, the Blues owner, has done some great things for the team since he has been owner. I believe Limbaugh wouldn’t be a major voice if he became part-owner and Checketts would build a winning team. It’s a sticky situation, but I would bet that Limbaugh has no chance at becoming an owner. Checketts better find another partner, maybe one that didn’t pop Oxycontin’s like M&Ms.
