Former MSNBC Anchor Goes On Keith Olbermann-Like Rant Demanding ESPN Fire Paul Finebaum Over Michigan Commentary
Former MSNBC anchor David Shuster -- who the network fired for secretly trying to land a job at CNN -- went OFF on ESPN commentator Paul Finebaum over comments made about Michigan football. Shuster came across much like Keith Olbermann, another completely unhinged "journalist" who takes to social media to air grievances to gain relevance.
Shuster, a Michigan alumnus, is a staunch defender of the school and Jim Harbaugh. So much so that he lost his mind over rather mundane criticism from Finebaum towards Michigan.
While this is technically Finebaum's opinion, it's also pretty clearly true. We don't even have to guess about that. Just look at the reaction over the Houston Astros 2017 World Series victory. People tend to not look upon cheaters fondly. Imagine that.
Cenk Uygur, Founder and CEO of TYT, and former MSNBC anchor David Shuster attend The Young Turks (TYT) 20th Anniversary Celebration. (Photo by Anna Webber/Getty Images for TYT)
Yet, this commentary was enough to get Shuster's maize-and-blue blood boiling. Across multiple posts on X (formerly Twitter), Shuster called for ESPN to fire Finebaum. He tagged Disney CEO Bob Iger and threatened to not take his family to Disney World if Iger continued to employ Finebaum.
He also called for a boycott of all of ESPN's sponsors if the network didn't can the college football analyst.
Clearly, Shuster believes he has that kind of pull. Admittedly, I had never even heard of him until this story surfaced. So, I'm not sure just how much influence he wields.
Fired MSNBC anchor and Michigan alum David Shuster goes on social media rampage against ESPN and Paul Finebaum
There's just so much to unpack here. First, let me say this: as a fellow Big Ten alum (Penn State, WE ARE), I want to make this very clear to David Shuster. We are not jealous of Michigan. No one is.
This is such a lame and lazy characterization as to why people are criticizing the football program right now.
Second, his conclusion that people are using this scandal as a way to denigrate the entire university is unfounded. This conversation is about football. In fact, Shuster's adamant defense of the entire university reeks of "methinks the lady doth protest too much."
Plus, he essentially puts Michigan on a pedestal, implying that it's one of the greatest institutions in the world. Does that make them above reproach? Of course not.
Additionally, why does he care what us commoners think in the first place? He went to MICHIGAN. We didn't. Who cares what we think?
Former MSNBC host David Shuster pulled a Keith Olbermann, launching a social media rant targeting ESPN & Paul Finebaum (pictured) over Michigan comments. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Something wasn't adding up, so I dug into Shuster's background a little deeper.
Shuster's relationship with Keith Olbermann probably contributed to his current mental state
I found this gem on Shuster's Wiki page: Keith Olbermann and Current TV announced that Shuster was hired to serve as "primary substitute anchor" for the network's re-launch of Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Starting July 29, 2011, Shuster became a regular guest-host of Countdown. The series ended on March 30, 2012, but Shuster remained as correspondent for the network.
Naturally, the network quickly cancelled this show. That's a pretty common theme in Olbermann's recent "career."
It all snapped into place: David Shuster is a Keith Olbermann protégé. He decided to take a page out of Olbermann's playbook and attempted to gain relevance by attacking someone on social media who is much more famous than he is.
That's what the kids call "clout chasing." Olbermann employs this tactic regularly.
The irony here is that Shuster thinks he's defending Michigan, his alma mater, against a perceived "attack" from ESPN and Paul Finebaum.
Except, his deranged diatribe only makes the school look worse. If these are the type of people who graduate from Michigan, maybe we should take a deeper look into the school as a whole.
Good job, David Shuster. You made yourself relevant again for five minutes.
Unfortunately, you did so by making yourself look like a maniac.
All publicity is good publicity, though, right??