Congress "tackles" the big issues

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WASHINGTON (AP) - A House subcommittee approved legislation Wednesday aimed at forcing college football to switch to a playoff system to determine its national champion, over the objections of some lawmakers who said Congress has meatier targets to tackle.

The bill, which faces steep odds, would ban the promotion of a postseason NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision game as a national championship unless it results from a playoff. The measure passed by voice vote in a House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee, with one audible "no," from Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga.

"With all due respect, I really think we have more important things to spend our time on," Barrow said before the vote, although he stressed he didn't like the current Bowl Championship Series, either.

The BCS selections announced last weekend pit two unbeaten teams, No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Texas, in the Jan. 7 national title game. Three other undefeated teams - TCU, Cincinnati and Boise State - will play in a BCS bowl game, but not for the championship.

"What can we say - it's December and the BCS is in chaos again," said the bill's sponsor, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He said the BCS system is unfair and won't change unless prompted by Congress.

The legislation, which goes to the full committee, would make it illegal to promote a national championship game "or make a similar representation," unless it results from a playoff.

There is no Senate version, although Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has pressed for a Justice Department antitrust investigation into the BCS.

Shortly after his election last year, Barack Obama said there should be a playoff system.

In a statement before the vote, BCS executive director Bill Hancock said, "With all the serious matters facing our country, surely Congress has more important issues than spending taxpayer money to dictate how college football is played."

The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Bobby Rush, an Illinois Democrat who co-sponsored the bill, said, "We can walk and chew gum at the same time."

Yet Barrow wasn't alone in criticizing his colleagues' priorities; Reps. Zach Space, D-Ohio, and Bart Stupak, D-Mich., made similar arguments. Space said that with people facing tough times, the decision to focus on college football sends the "wrong message."

The bill has a tough road ahead, given the wide geographic representation and political clout of schools in the six conferences - the ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC - that get automatic BCS bowl bids

The current college bowl system features a championship game between the two top teams in the BCS standings, based on two polls and six computer rankings. Eight other schools play in the Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Rose bowls.

Under the BCS, the champions of those six big conference get automatic bids, while other conferences don't. Those six conferences also receive far more money than the other conferences.
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http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091209/D9CFVTR01.html

im ashamed to say i made this topic because i just had to use that terrible pun. im torn on this, on one hand congress does have much much more important things to do. on the other hand, as a big football fan, i hate the BSC. so im a little curious to see how many political CAGs are willing to look the other way for this because of their love for sports.
 
Are these things actually changed with federal laws?

Anyway, I guess what really matters is how much time it actually took to do it. Unless it took a lot of time and debate or some shit, then it doesn't really matter all that much.
 
There are hundreds of millions of dollars being siphoned to just a few select schools in a totally unfair and corrupt system. That's why people care.

I absolutely despise the BCS. TCU got royally fucked here. They are calling the Fiesta bowl the 'little kids table'. TCU could easily take on and likely beat Florida, and should be given the chance.

If i understand correctly all this legislation would do is make it illegal for them to market the BCS as any kind of championship, because it's not. But far more should be done about it than this. This is one area where I would really get behind and support Obama if he made an issue about this. Sadly, he likely will not without enough pressure, as much of the country would react like JolietJake did.
 
[quote name='JolietJake']Who in the bloody blue fuck cares about shit like this?[/QUOTE]

the tens of millions of people that watch football every week. college administrations and boosters care quite a bit too.

[quote name='thrustbucket']There are hundreds of millions of dollars being siphoned to just a few select schools in a totally unfair and corrupt system. That's why people care.

I absolutely despise the BCS. TCU got royally fucked here. They are calling the Fiesta bowl the 'little kids table'. TCU could easily take on and likely beat Florida, and should be given the chance.

If i understand correctly all this legislation would do is make it illegal for them to market the BCS as any kind of championship, because it's not. But far more should be done about it than this. This is one area where I would really get behind and support Obama if he made an issue about this. Sadly, he likely will not without enough pressure, as much of the country would react like JolietJake did.[/QUOTE]

there two main points, and i think most people only see the first. and that is that the "championship" is anything but one. its the only college sport that doesnt have a tournament to deterine its champion.

but the second point, and more important to the livelyhood of schools, is what you touched upon, and thats the millions and millions of dollars that small schools are losing because they are denied a chance to compete for a national championship solely because they arent in a powerhouse conference.
 
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This is about as important as Congress getting involved in steroids in baseball, and concussions in football. My health insurance sucks, my wife has $20k in student loans, and unemployment in my state is around 12 percent, but I wonder when TCU will have a shot at a national championship. Derr, derr, derr.
 
Here's an idea, do away with college sports entirely.:D

I'm not even going to argue why sports aren't worth the government's time, it should be obvious.
 
[quote name='berzirk'] My health insurance sucks, my wife has $20k in student loans, and unemployment in my state is around 12 percent, but I wonder when TCU will have a shot at a national championship.[/QUOTE]

Not if my Longhorns have anything to say about it.
 
[quote name='Strell']Not if my Longhorns have anything to say about it.[/QUOTE]
Ah Strell, always talking about your Longhorn. One would think you'd grow tired of the discussion.
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']I guess you are arguing the government should be responsible for dealing with every one of those issues?[/QUOTE]

I'd rather see them spend time discussing those than the post-season format of college sports.

Hell, I'd rather have them dedicate two weeks to penguin rape, than discuss the BCS (which does suck, but not nearly as much as any of the issues I listed, or penguin rape)
 
[quote name='thrustbucket']There are hundreds of millions of dollars being siphoned to just a few select schools in a totally unfair and corrupt system. That's why people care.[/QUOTE]

Disco.

[quote name='Quillion']Ah Strell, always talking about your Longhorn. One would think you'd grow tired of the discussion.[/QUOTE]

zing!
 
[quote name='Quillion']Ah Strell, always talking about your Longhorn. One would think you'd grow tired of the discussion.[/QUOTE]

That would imply there is a shortage of material to work with.

But your mom knows better.
 
I don't like congress getting involved in sports. But I fucking hate the BCS. D1-A College football is nothing but a series of glorified exhibition games, and will be nothing more than that until there's a playoff. So if this helps spur the process of change along, then I can't complain much.

I can't imagine any congressmen spent much time on it anyway. Just have some aides write the bill, give comments and get a subcommittee to vote on it.
 
[quote name='Strell']That would imply there is a shortage of material to work with.

But your mom knows better.[/QUOTE]

It's a little bit distasteful that you'd bring my mother into this. She has some small amount of remorse for your short rendezvous.

But, we need not spend even a minuscule moment more on this tiny subject.
 
Of course she has remorse from that rendezvous. Remorse that one day got onto the internet and created an account here on CAG named Quillion.
 
[quote name='Strell']Of course she has remorse from that rendezvous. Remorse that one day got onto the internet and created an account here on CAG named Quillion.[/QUOTE]
You must have had a great deal of trouble getting those cigarettes, we expected you back many years ago.
 
[quote name='Quillion']You must have had a great deal of trouble getting those cigarettes, we expected you back many years ago.[/QUOTE]
Eh... nice effort, but I'm-a have to call this match 2-1 in favour of Strell.
 
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