College football’s BCS compared to communism in hearing
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First, Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert compares teamwork to socialism. Now Republican Rep. Joe Barton of Texas compares college football’s Bowl Championship Series to communism.
The only difference is, Barton wasn’t joking.
‘I had hoped through a spirit of volunteerism, the BCS would decide to go to a playoff system,’ he said during a hearing today of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s trade, commerce and consumer protection subcommittee. ‘That hasn’t happened yet. It is interesting that people of goodwill -- I think everybody on whatever side of the issue is a person of goodwill -- keeps trying to tinker with the current system.’
‘It’s like communism, you can’t fix it,’ he continued. ‘Sooner or later you are going to have to try a new model.’
Barton’s frustration is understandable, considering efforts to reform the current system that entail six of the 11 college conferences having guaranteed spots in the four BCS games have yielded little progress. The Times’ Chris Dufresne recently reported the Mountain West Conference’s proposal of an eight-team playoff during this year’s BCS meetings in Pasadena. Dufresne noted: ‘Other BCS commissioners listened respectfully, and, as far as we know, none laughed out loud. The commissioners will revisit the Mountain West’s proposal in June after it has been properly vetted (translation: rejected) by college presidents.’
The BCS system is locked in place at least through 2014. ESPN agreed to a four-year contract to hold exclusive rights to the Orange, Fiesta and Sugar Bowl from 2011-2014 and the BCS title game from 2011-2013. But that didn’t prevent Barton from sponsoring a bill that would prohibit calling any football game a national championship if it’s not determined by a playoff.
In the hearing, officials from the Mountain West Conference complained of the system’s unfairness. BCS coordinator John Swofford countered, ‘Sponsorship and television revenues that historically have flowed into bowl games will inevitably follow (to the playoff system), meaning that it would be very difficult for any bowl … to survive.’
Barton said to Swofford, ‘You should either change your name to BES, for Bowl Exhibition System, or just drop the ‘C’ and call it the BS system.’
The verdict is still out: Today’s hearing is considered the same thing. Sports Illustrated college football reporter Andy Staples concluded, ‘despite a cynicism produced from years of watching college football’s fat cats stonewall a playoff that truly would crown a champion on the field, this challenge might have legs.’
Regardless, Barton’s communism theme couldn’t help but evoke thoughts of our own economic perils and it was hard not to wonder where our priorities are.
-- Mark Medina