After the Jovon Belcher tragedy last weekend, NBC sports anchor Bob Costas used his platform on Sunday Night Football to advocate for gun control.
Last Saturday morning, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovon Belcher killed his girlfriend and then committed suicide in front of his coach and general manager. It was a horrible incident that shocked people throughout the country.
Instead of grieving for the victim and her family, Costas decided to impose his liberal political views on millions of viewers who tuned in to watch football.
The NFL is the most popular professional sports league in the country. Americans enjoy watching the action, following their favorite teams and escaping from the problems they face in their lives. Americans who watch Sunday Night Football don’t tune in to watch sports anchors editorialize about political issues.
Thus, it is no surprise that so many people are upset at Bob Costas for his gun control commentary. Millions of Americans are tired of the liberal media lecturing us about their politically correct agenda, including gun control.
During his 90 second diatribe against handguns, Costas quoted from columnist Jason Whitlock, who wrote, “Handguns do not enhance our safety. They exacerbate our flaws, tempt us to escalate arguments, and bait us into embracing confrontation rather than avoiding it. In the coming days, Jovan Belcher’s actions, (and its possible connection to football), will be analyzed. Who knows? But here…is what I believe, If Jovan Belcher didn’t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.”
In fact, no one knows whether Belcher would be alive today without a handgun. As a large and powerful NFL player Belcher could have easily killed his girlfriend with his hands or another type of weapon.
It is despicable that Costas would use this tragedy to pursue a gun control agenda. Obviously, the handgun issue is a contentious one in our country, but we do have the 2nd Amendment which guarantees the right of every American to bear arms.Used responsibly, guns can protect people and property and save lives. In this tragedy, the ultimate responsibility lies with Mr. Belcher, who committed this heinous act. Instead of placing the blame on the perpetrator, Costas decided to blame guns, a convenient target for liberals. He also referred to Whitlock, who frequently editorializes against guns and has shown particular antipathy toward the National Rifle Association (NRA). Whitlock labeled the NRA as a modern day “KKK.” Making such a ridiculous reference completely destroys Whitlock’s credibility and raises more questions about why Costas would promote such a columnist on national television.
In an ideal world, Costas would be reprimanded for his improper editorial; however, he works for NBC, the most liberal television network. On NBC, Costas is not the only liberal; in fact he has plenty of company. This is the network that owns the far left cable station MSNBC, which boasts a line-up of loony blowhards Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow. The network also features liberal anchor Brian Williams as host of the NBC nightly news program. It should come as no surprise that this steady diet of liberalism has not enthralled viewers. In fact, ratings for the network news program continues to drop and MSNBC is regularly far behind Fox News in total viewership.
If Costas wants to start a career as a political commentator, he should host a program on MSNBC. The network would love to add him to their line-up. If they will hire Rev. Al Sharpton, they will hire anyone.
Otherwise, Costas should stick to sports, his area of supposed expertise, and allow Americans to enjoy football games in peace without another liberal lecture ruining the evening.