Saturday, December 5, 2009

You Got To Be Kidding Me

Wow and I thought we had real problems in this country! Congress is now stepping in to lend its wisdom and oversight to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) which determines a national champion in college football.

Holy Keith Jackson! What's next? The jump rope championships at my kid's school.


This from the Wall Street Journal: "House Helps To Pick College Football No. 1". Now I feel better, and I am glad my elected officials are tackling the tough issues. After all, I was worried sick that maybe this year's champion may not be this year's real champion. And I am sure my countrymen and women feel the same way. Another year with the wrong champion. I am so thankful Congress is on the job.

The House legislation being introduced is typical of Congress - long on bluster, short on substance. It "wouldn't specifically bar the title game, but would bar marketing of the BCS game as a national championship match." It is all in the posturing. Nothing changes but we looked like we did something.

Now I am not a college football fan, and I don't really care or follow the issues too much. I do remember the good old days when you had all the bowl games on New Year's Day and then boom, you were done.

I guess about 10 years ago things changed and the BCS came into existence. I have always wondered if some sort of scenario unfolded where someone said "Hey, we play 10 games on 1 day. Why not play 10 games on 10 days and generate 10 times the revenue? And if those stodgy little fiefdoms, they call the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl, don't like it....well they don't have to have their games broadcast on TV." So I am sure someone somewhere knows the real story, but I am sure it has to do with money. The control of these bowls games was taken from these local committees who were putting on these bowl games. and transferred to the BCS and the TV networks. That's business.

So why would Congress care? They probably don't but there was probably some constituent -like one of these local bowl committees - who is trying to swing the pendulum back in the other direction. A bill gets introduced. Time and talk are wasted on nothing. Nothing gets done.

It is still a championship game, but we will just call it something else. Ok got it.

Sort of like the new jobs (i.e., stimulus) bill or the health care (i.e., jobs) legislation.


2 comments:

Onlooker said...

Indeed, they continue to fiddle while Rome burns. Squabbling over what the bread and circuses will look like exactly. Very fitting.

UFB

Unknown said...

Yes and I remember 2006-2007, in preparation of the bursting of the real estate bubble, Congress was spending its time investigating baseball players for use of steroids.

Who hires these guys?