Via ESPN: Congress to look into ‘deeply flawed’ BCS system
A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, charged with regulating America’s sports industry, announced Friday it will conduct a hearing on the BCS next week, after this season’s bowl matchups are determined.“College football is not just an exhilarating sport, but a billion-dollar business that Congress cannot ignore,” said committee Chairman Joe Barton, a Texas Republican. Barton’s panel is separate from the House Government Reform panel that tackled steroids in baseball.
The committee announcement called the hearing, scheduled for next Wednesday, a “comprehensive review” of the BCS and postseason college football.
“Too often college football ends in sniping and controversy, rather than winners and losers,” Barton said. “The current system of determining who’s No. 1 appears deeply flawed.”
And precisely how or why does Congressman Barton seem to think that it is the realm of Congress to get involved in how IA football chooses its #1 team?
Heck, I would love to see a playoff, that’s not the issue. The issue is: how in the world is it the business of Congress how any sporting authority chooses its champion?
And note to the Congressman: college football likes all the sniping and controversy because it draws attention to their product.
This is plain silly.
Maybe they can look into the subjective nature of scoring in figure skating next.
December 3rd, 2024 at 10:08 am
The Knucklehead of the Day award
Today’s winner is Republican congressman Joe Barton.
December 3rd, 2024 at 6:40 pm
And note to the Congressman: college football likes all the sniping and controversy because it draws attention to their product.
Wrong. College football presidents don’t care about all the sniping because they get their fat $14 million paychecks for staying with the whackjob system they’ve come up with.
But really, they’re just concerned for the college athlete.
December 4th, 2024 at 7:21 am
Oh, I’m wholly aware that the BCS schools get a ton of cash and that that is at the heart of maintaining the current system.
However, that isn’t mutually exclusive to my statement about he griping, either.
December 5th, 2024 at 2:13 pm
Steven, I’m surprised at you! Have you never heard of the Commerce Clause? That’s that part of the Constitution that makes everything — everything — Congress’s business. Especially billion-dollar enterprises. And steroids.