Bad sports, good sports: BCS go away
This week, hearings started in Congress about the need for a college football playoff. The threat is that the BCS will not be able to refer to their championship game as a “national championship” if a playoff is not involved. Now, from my review of online commentary and conversation with other college football fans, I would say that although it is very clear that a playoff is greatly preferred as the way to determine a champion, there is a faction out there that thinks that the government should spend its time on the economic issues facing the country, rather than worry about how a game picks its ultimate winner. Personally, I am thrilled at the government’s involvement.
To be clear, I am absolutely in the playoff camp. I have never seen a single argument that made any sense to me, as far as why there should not be a playoff. Every other division of college football has playoffs, save Division 1A (I refuse to call it the Football Bowl Subdivision). I have long been of the belief that a game is not a sport if its winner is determined by judges. I am not suggesting that the athletes who participate in those events are not athletes. Gymnasts are certainly athletes. But gymnastics is not a sport, as there is no way to win, save having a panel of judges decide that you won. Does college football want to be figure skating? Or synchronized swimming?
One of the arguments I have seen suggests that the leaders of college football don’t want to change this because the annual argument about who is the champion generates such a great amount of publicity and discussion, and why would they want to lose that? Hmmm… maybe baseball should allow steroids again, since it produces such a great amount of discussion. Ludicrous. The most recent argument, being made right now before Congress, is that the bowl games would lose their history and tradition. Seriously? Is there a sports fan out there who cares about that, even a little bit? Let’s not have a playoff so that we can still have the Rose Bowl mean nothing most years, the way it does now?
As far as the government spending time on this when we have all the problems we have? I am pretty sure our legislators have the ability to multitask. If they can only do one thing at a time, maybe they should be doing something else. Like making plans for next year’s Mr. Clean South Dakota Bowl.
Good sports, continued:
2) The Jets released Brett Favre. Can we please close this book? Uh-oh. See Bad Sports story number one below.
3) Saturday started with the news that I Want Revenge, the favorite for the Kentucky Derby, had been scratched due to a possible injury. The day ended with a 50-1 longshot, Mine That Bird, winning the Run for the Roses. Would have been a well-spent two dollars.
Bad sports:
1) I know. He was a great player. Not something I could forget, as often as every football announcer has told me over the last few years. But I am pretty sure there is a limit on how many times you should be allowed to retire and cry about it, before they say you can’t come back anymore. Brett Favre, please stay retired.
2) It’s not much of a stretch to think that this story is not going to end well. Jayson Williams, former NBA star, clearly hasn’t gotten his act together.
3) Speaking of not getting your act together, remember Lawrence Phillips?
Bad Sports, Good Sports appears every Monday.
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The objection to government involvement in college football should not be over legislators’ ability to multi-task. The objection should be that the government should not be involved because this is outside of its sphere, and ought to be. You really want sports rules to be under the influence of Congress? Really? Even if you do want a playoff system, this is a bad idea. What are they going to hold hearings on next? Instant replay?
Rules are one thing. The structure of the sport is another. No, I do not want the government determining the rules. In this case, though, there is a basic inequality. Teams from non-BCS conferences have no real chance at competing for the championship. Utah showed last year that a team from one of those conferences can actually be good enough. But they had no chance, because of the BCS. A playoff would have allowed them to prove on the field that they were worthy. I am OK with the government stepping in when a major enterprise discriminates in this fashion.