How do you get Foxy Laura Ingraham to kick you off her show? Author Steve Almond demonstrated an amusing way on Wednesday by using some of the network's most unsavory practices to prove his football-related points.
And surprisingly, Ingraham let Almond —author of Against Football: One Fan's Reluctant Manifesto — get away with a couple of slams before finally cutting him off.
First, on the topic of how to make football safer after the news of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest, Almond knocked the wind out of Ingraham when he suggested using economic incentives. "Like at Fox News, when you have hosts who are allegedly sexually harassing people," he said to the host, who took on an expression of sheer constipation matched only by Tucker Carlson. "Fox News throws money at that to make that PR problem go away."
"That's a cute little move," Ingraham uttered, struggling to keep her composure. (See first video below.)
Second, on the topic of football, politics, and social justice: "I know your focused on the players, I'm focused on the fans, and what I essentially believe is not that any government ban is going to make football safer, and certainly not some mythic woke mob that you mentioned to try to scare your viewers," Almond said.
"I'm not trying to scare the viewers," Ingraham sassed.
"Oh, I think that's your entire economic model," Almond shot back. "Your entire economic model is to scare your viewers. That's your whole gig." (See video here.)
For the third and final act, circling back to their earlier discussion, Almond gave an example of how to manage PR to ensure revenue: "A couple of years ago when you taunted a survivor of the Parkland mass shooting, you apologized only because advertisers withdrew from your show."
Ingraham, finally catching her breath, had quite enough and cut off his mic. "Nice try, little buddy." (See second video below.)
I'd say it was more than just a nice try and more like a touchdown.
Front page thumbnail image: Fox News (screengrab)
