Who to root for in today's Philadelphia-Arizona NFC championship game? From my progressive viewpoint, it's an easy call.
Today at 3:00 pm Eastern, the Arizona Cardinals host the Philadelphia Eagles in the two sides' first postseason matchup since the 1948 NFL championship game. I'm a Louisiana native (not a Saints fan) looking for a rooting interest since Jake Delhomme and the Manning brothers were eliminated.
Since an Eagles' victory would put Donovan McNabb in the Super Bowl, it didn't take me long to find a rooting interest. Flash back to September 26, 2003 and ESPN's NFL Sunday Countdown show. Comedian Rush Limbaugh, you'll recall, had been recently hired to provide a "fan's viewpoint." Of course, Rush had to be Rush. Noting McNabb's struggling play to that point, he said:
Sorry to say this, I don't think he's been that good from the get-go. I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team.
ESPN clumsily tried to defend Comedian's comments as directed at the media, but the racial overtones proved too much to defend and Limbaugh officially resigned a few days later. Unofficially, of course, ESPN had to have given him a quit-or-be-fired ultimatum. And if the Eagles make the Super Bowl, you know Keith Olbermann will remind us of Comedian's self-styled football expertise.
As for the Chicago/St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals, their stadium naming rights were sold to the University of Phoenix, the poster child for proof that the profit motive is as detrimental to quality education as it is to quality healthcare. Check out this February 2007 story from the New York Times:
[M]any students say they have had infuriating experiences at the university before dropping out, contributing to the poor graduation rate. In recent interviews, current and former students in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas and Washington who studied at University of Phoenix campuses in those states or online complained of instructional shortcuts, unqualified professors and recruiting abuses. Many of their comments echoed experiences reported by thousands of other students on consumer Web sites.
I don't know what the current tuition rates are, but I taught there for five years (I needed the money) and the faculty salaries were raised once. I did my damnedest to impart some knowledge, but it was obvious where the priorities were. I was teaching a course when the naming rights were announced, and my first thought was "Students, here's your tuition dollars at work!"
Anyway, for me it's an easy call. Go Iggles!