Rush Limbaugh is wildly successful in a business that values his particular views and opinions. He's become a very wealthy man. But that success doesn't automatically extend into other business arenas. What makes Limbaugh successful on the radio makes him a liability in an NFL front office. Limbaugh is finding out that money isn't the salve that heals all wounds. There are wages to be paid for the choices Rush made. Limbaugh may profit handsomely from his rhetoric, but at the cost of future potential NFL employees.
Rush didn't lose his chance at becoming an NFL owner just because of his views. The fact is there are plenty of successful business owners who are misogynists or racists. Limbaugh lost his chance because his views threatened the success of the business.
Claims that Limbaugh was dropped for moral reasons from the bidding group for the St. Louis Rams couldn't be further from the truth. This might be good public relations, but it doesn't reflect reality.
Rush was dropped from the ownership group for economic reasons. Despite the moral outrage against Michael Vick, he found gainful employment in the NFL after serving time in prison for dog fighting. Clearly moral outrage alone isn't enough to disqualify you from the NFL.
The mistake Limbaugh made was offending a portion of a highly scarce resource - NFL caliber players. Bart Scott and Mathias Kiwanuka put voice to the thoughts of many NFL players - they won't play for Limbaugh. Alienating players threatens the team's ability to sign free agents and draft picks. This is something the free market deems a competitive disadvantage. This competitive disadvantage translates into putting an inferior product on the field and threatens the loss of ticket sales and merchandise revenue. Including Rush in the ownership group presented downside risk without any upside reward.
Michael Vick, on the other hand, managed to offend a portion of a significantly less scarce resource - NFL fans. Sure, some teams stayed away from signing Vick because of the potential backlash of their fan bases. But the Philadelphia Eagles did the calculus. They determined the economic risk of lost ticket sales and merchandise revenue was less than the competitive gain the team would receive by signing Vick. Vick's downside risk came paired with a potential upside reward - a competitive gain on the field yielding a second order benefit that translates wins into additional ticket sales and merchandise revenue.
The campaign against Glenn Beck perfectly showcases this economic asymmetry in resources. There is greater economic threat in reducing the number of advertisers - a scarce resource - versus reducing the number of viewers.
It's as simple as that. Rush represents a threat to a much scarcer resource than Vick did. Competitive disadvantage did you in Rush. You threaten the quality of the product. I would think the party of free markets would understand this concept.
As if to prove my point, Limbaugh blames liberals and a politically correct environment for his downfall. He falls back into a divisive rhetoric that resonates with his fan base. Limbaugh has proved that economic gain is possible with his views. Whether Limbaugh is objectively racist is immaterial in a "pure" business sense. His views translate into economic reward on the radio.
But that calculus doesn't work in the NFL. Rush is perceived to be racist - to such an extent that players declared their intent not to play for him. It's up to you Rush to fix that perception if an NFL ownership role is what you really want. It will take more than words. It involves deeds that back up those words. It takes consistent, predictable and reliable application of those words and deeds over a period of time before you gain the perception you need to just be considered worthy of NFL ownership again.
Just remember wages are part of this equation too. Is the NFL worth potentially losing your EIB empire? Are you willing to risk losing the sure money of the political entertainment business you've built by moderating your opinions and views for another shot at NFL ownership?
You and I know the answers to those questions. Rush's ego is fully invested in Radio Rush. It's easier for Limbaugh to fall back onto divisive comments and blame others than to take ownership of this failure caused by his own words. There is no one else to blame but yourself, Rush. But you would rather remain true to, and profit from, your misogynistic and racist views than try to moderate them for acceptance by the NFL, let alone acceptance by the rest of us.