Oh, That Rush! He's Such A *Kidder!* (and American Football 101)

[Cindy C.]

Pip:

> Before posting, consider how other members of our diverse         
> international community might react to your post.

Yes, you'll notice that I took the time to give the whole Limbaugh
story rather than just state conclusions.  I did that specifically
because I know some folks here don't know football or Limbaugh.  I
thought my post contained the essential facts, but it appears that I
lapsed into "football-speak" unintentionally.  I did try to use
phrases like "American Football," and I tried to explain terms like
"ESPN."

I am sorry if my post was confusing and more explanation was in order.

Pip:

> a) I'd never heard of Rush Limbaugh before Cindy's post.

To learn more about Rush, go to:

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html

That's his very own website I believe.  You can see the actual clip of
him saying the Words In Question.

> b) My idea of American football is 'is it a bit like Rugby, but they 
> have tons of padding?'

Erm, I don't know Rugby, so I can't help you.  

 
> c) What's a quarterback? Is a starting quarterback just a different 
> way of saying 'quarterback'?

Oh, OK.  

American football teams have 11 players on offense and 11 on defense.
 The offensive team has a quarterback.  The quarterback basically
"runs" the offense -- he's the on-field captain, so to speak.  He must
be able to throw the ball accurately while under assault from the
defense, he must be able to remember the plays, he must keep one eye
on the clock so he doesn't run out of time, he must remember in which
direction each of his players is supposed to run, and he must keep an
eye on what the defense has decided to do to thwart him.  And more.  

It is not easy, and quarterbacks are very well compensated.  They are
often the stars of their teams.

About 30(?) years ago, there were no black quarterbacks in the NFL. 
They were all white.  Some people said this was because blacks weren't
smart enough to be quarterbacks, as the job does require some
intellect and poise under considerable pressure.  (I know.  Yuck.) 
After some controversy about that POV, more and more black players
started to become quarterbacks.  Now, there are 32 NFL teams and 9
starting quarterbacks.  These days, the race of a particular
quarterback is a footnote -- if that.

A "starting" quarterback is simply the team's best quarterback. 
Because players get injured so much in American football, all teams
have at least three quarterbacks.  McNabb, therefore, is the best
quarterback on his team -- the Philadelphia Eagles -- which is a team
in  the National Football Conference (basically a division in the league).

 
> d) what is the NFL? Why does the same team seem to be in the 'NFC 
> playoffs' What's the NFC? What is a playoff anyway?

NFL = National Football League, a professional sports league and the
dominant one in the U.S.  (There's another start-up called "Arena
Football" or something)

NFC = National Football Conference (like I said, this is one of two
divisions in the NFL, each having 16 teams)

Playoff = the teams with the best win/loss records during the season
advance to the playoffs -- single-elimination head-to-head
competition.  The playoffs culminate in the Superbowl, in which the
winner of the NFC Division goes head-to-head with the winner of the
AFC ("American Football Conference" -- that's the other division in
the NFL).  The Superbowl winner is the NFL champion for the year. 
They get to open bubbly (I can't spell "champaigne") in the locker
room and drench their coach in Gatorade (a sports beverage).  They
also get a big check and a big ring.  The losers get to look glum and
pack their bubbly back into the case and take it home with them.  They
get a smaller check and no ring.

 
> e)if we're going to talk about politics, could we talk about 
> something where the *entire* list has at least a vague idea what on 
> earth is being discussed?

Uh, I think that is *very* unrealistic.  People talk about things I
don't understand on this list all the time.  I deal with that by
skipping the thread or asking questions, as Pip as done.  

Are we sure we want a list in which the only subjects discussed are
those which "the *entire* list" understands?  That's a tall order, I
think.


> Is this similar in other countries? Do people get treated 
> differently because they are the first of their background in a 
> particular job or the first to reach the top in a particular field? 
> Do they get noticed more if they're the first? Do the media talk 
> about them more, and concentrate more on the background than the 
> ability?

Good questions, Pip.  

I'll circle back to American Football for a minute.  The first NFL
starting quarterback I can think of who was moderately successful was
James Harris for the L.A. Rams.  (Aren't you impressed that I know
*that* off the top of my head?  <g>)  He was quite talented -- I think
he may have made it to the playoffs once.  But he had an Achilles heel
-- he fumbled a lot.  (Note:  "Fumbling" is when the player drops the
ball when he should instead hold tightly to it.)  He also wasn't very
agile, and seemed mistake-prone, IMHO.  So he did OK and got a lot of
press -- positive and negative -- because he was a "first."

Cindy -- noting that she wrote this from memory, that she used to
follow football closely but doesn't anymore, and who welcomes any
factual corrections