Bob Costas knows his sports.
I’ll say that for him.
Over the last 32 years, he has parlayed that knowledge and his broadcasting abilities into an estimated net worth of some $32 million.
He has won nearly 20 Emmys and four National Sportscaster of the Year awards.
But he is clearly out of his depths and out of place when it comes to opining on other matters – such as gun control.
Costas attempted to use his platform during a “Sunday Night Football” halftime report to blame a gun for the murder of a woman – a gun actually fired by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, who also used it to kill himself.
He began by praising a column by Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock. Then Costas added: ”In the coming days, Jovan Belcher’s actions and their possible connection to football will be analyzed. Who knows? ‘But here,’ wrote Jason Whitlock, ‘is what I believe. If Jovan Belcher didn’t possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today.'”
Belcher shot and killed Perkins, the mother of his 3-month-old daughter, on Saturday morning, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and committed suicide in the parking lot of the team’s practice facility.
Does Costas really believe that Belcher couldn’t have found another way to kill Perkins? Firing a gun at a woman who has given birth to your child requires some determination. Belcher didn’t lack the brute strength to strangle her or to stab her to death. So Costas clearly doesn’t know Perkins would be alive if Belcher didn’t own a gun.
But, more to the point, there would be far more innocent blood spilled if responsible Americans were someday denied the unalienable, constitutionally protected right to bear arms. Guns save the lives of innocent victims of crime every day in America.
Most of these victims, unlike Costas, can’t afford to hire armed security guards to protect them wherever they go. They don’t have $32 million fortunes, so they wisely invest in a firearm – the great equalizer.
In fact, if Kasandra Perkins owned a gun, she might be alive today. Did Costas ever think of that?
For the average person, owning a gun can be a lifesaving investment. Guns don’t fire themselves. They don’t take innocent lives by themselves. They don’t even take the lives of bad guys by themselves. They require human agents to do those things – just like knives or swords or baseball bats.
In fact, come to think of it, people are intentionally and accidentally killed by cars and trucks. Some are electrocuted. Some even get killed playing sports.
Should we get rid of cars and trucks. Should we get rid of electricity? Should we ban sports?
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve never had a bad thought about Bob Costas before. In fact, I liked that he criticized the International Olympic Committee’s decision not to hold a moment of silence to mark the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches killed by Palestinian terrorists in Munich in 1972. Of course, he didn’t do that during the broadcast he was hired to deliver.
He has a perfect right to say whatever he wants to say. But, up until now, he has wisely not ventured into political and social commentary on subjects obviously over his head – at least not during sports events.
I wasn’t watching – but I can certainly understand why many viewers objected so vehemently to such crass exploitation of a tragic event, as Costas aired his ill-informed, nonsensical, knee-jerk comments. There are few safe harbors from political correctness in the media today. We’re bombarded by it in comedy programs, dramatic programs – even commercials. I sure don’t need it when I’m watching sports to escape from the propaganda for a few hours.
Costas owes his viewers an apology.
But don’t expect one.
Remember for whom he toils – NBC, a network that is proud as a peacock of its mindless, one-sided, left-wing drivel.
In fact, don’t be surprised if he is rewarded for his impropriety with an even bigger, fatter contract.
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