The Uproar over Keith Olbermann's Return to ESPN

It's been curious to observe the reaction of many folks to Keith Olbermann's return to ESPN. Even before he appeared before a camera and said a word, the reaction has been swift and furious from some.

Ok, exactly which one of you fuckers is responsible for bringing Keith Olbermann back to television?
— CornNation (@CornNation) August 8, 2013

And we all know why... it has absolutely nothing to do with his work as a sportscaster.  It's his legacy of work at MSNBC and Current TV as a progressive commentator, and some people can't separate Olbermann the sportscaster from Olbermann, the advocate for President Obama's health care reform plan.

It's unfortunate when we let disagreements over politics and policy bleed over into completely separate discussions. I personally don't think much about George W. Bush's politics or eight years as President of the United States, but I suspect he'd be an enjoyable guy to sit next to at a ball game.  (And here it comes...someone will undoubtedly tell me to move to China in the comments...)

Olberman has made it clear he's going to cover sports, not politics. So I'm not sure why some people want to boycott ESPN because they disagree with his politics.  If you want to criticize him over his comments over A-Rod or the role of the designated hitter, fine.  If you want to criticize him over his moronic idea about replaying the final play of the 2005 Alamo Bowl, where Michigan tried to enlist the Stanford band, fine.

But because he skewered Republicans five times a week on another network?  What does that have anything to do with sports?  Remember, Olbermann's background is sports broadcasting.  He launched ESPN2, and nobody complained about him then.

So why now?