By Katie Kieffer
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/yb9lrq3
If you never thought your government would stomp into your living room and tinker with the football channel, well, think again. As I warned in “Leave football alone!” and ESPN predicted, Uncle Sam thinks he should control sports as well as health care, the economy and the climate. This week, the House passed a bill that – if approved by the full committee and the Senate – would force college football to switch from the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system to a playoff system.
Since the government has found spectacular solutions (TBD) for the recession and health care and Al Gore is busy crunching numbers to prove “man-made” global warming, Congress seems to have plenty of extra time on its hands.
You get the feeling that our representatives were looking at each other one day and said, ‘Gosh, we’ve solved America’s problems, and our President is handling the war, let’s see what else we can “fix!”‘ That’s when Sen. John Kerry texted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and said, “Hey NP, I finally learned how to catch a football! I think you should focus on the BCS system. Nothing’s wrong with it, but gosh, wouldn’t it be great to control college football?”
Image credit: http://tinyurl.com/y8onyre
If you’re an avid football fan – whether or not you like the BCS system – I think you should be alarmed that our government is trying to control sports, as ESPN points out. Additionally, do you really want your tax dollars going toward discussions about sports in Congress? Wouldn’t you rather have your elected officials focus on solving big problems – like the recession or the War in Afghanistan?
This is getting a little out of hand, wouldn’t you say? What’s next, a bill that bans cheerleaders from performing because their stunts are too risky and could endanger their health?
You can read my introductory post and watch ESPN’s video here if you want more background on this story. Take my poll on the right-hand side panel and tell me what you think!
Awesome post, Katie! I think it’s disturbing that our government is wasting its time getting involved in sports instead of focusing on bigger issues.
Additionally, do you really want your tax dollars going toward discussions about sports in Congress?
No; this is a really dumb issue. But, college is somewhat different than pro sports. There’s a bunch of public institutions receiving public money in the league. And, no one can just start a team and join the league because of the government allowsa monopoly over the sport (similar to baseball). So there’s an argument that the government should have some say, given that they’ve (rightfully or wrongfully) given the sport these advantages…
But then again, it’s a dumb issue.