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The free market comes back to bite Rush Limbaugh

The NFL may be run -- at the macro level -- as the most socialistic major enterprise in American life, since every team gets an equal paycheck from the biggest pool of revenue, TV money, regardless of whether it plays in the Big Apple or tiny Jacksonville. Yet pro football players live a life that is Reaganism on steroids (it's just an expression) when it comes to embracing free-market capitalism, thanks to another "free," as in free agency. A top player lives the American Dream of freedom to pursue the highest paycheck he wants, or to spurn that top bidder for the city of his choice...or even the coach or team owner of his choice.

That freedom is the real reason that comedian Rush Limbaugh will not be owning the St. Louis Rams. Even if the de facto GOP boss really did have the cash and the clout to successfully partner on a bid for his former home state team, NFL players made it clear almost to a man that they simply would not choose to play for an owner with Limbaugh's views on race in pro football, or on race, period. Which made the Limbaugh bid dead on arrival.

You can whine -- as Limbaugh and his many fans already are -- that the poor guy is misunderstood. But players remember the actual words that Limbaugh said about Donovan McNabb -- which were transcribed and broadcast thousands of times over -- and that was enough information for them. Limbaugh is right about one thing, which is that individuals have rights here in the U.S. of A. Thankfully that still includes the right to utterly reject Rush Limbaugh.