WED 10am est congressional hearing on BCS

[Rightupinthere]

Obviously, you gents don't realize how much face time on ESPN matters in the re-election campaigns.

You must look to the common denominator. You think this is about anti-trust? Easy TV time. Why do you think their questions take 15 minutes to ask?

[JWEIII]

The WED DEC 10am the Congress of the United States of America will convien to discuss the BCS. You can view the proceedings on CSPAN and ESPN NEWS live.

You can't be serious...

If you are, this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Let's see, that's what wrong with this country... yes... the BCS and/or it's not fair that there isn't a playoff in college football. Is that it? I, personally, would rank this... LAST on any list of national concerns.

Iraq... the buget deficit... the collapsing Social Security Trust... How many people in this country live without health care?... How many homeless people live in this country?... Ethics violations/bribery in Congress... Gas prices spinning out of control... Medication perscriptions spinning out of control... ect.

But, I am sure they will get to those issues right after they correct that violation on humanity that is the BCS.

At least with steroids there was a (remote) public health concern. Here... what...? These pinheads just want to get their face on TV and intimidate people, plain and simple. And it goes for all of them (Dem./Rep./Ind.).

The BCS is garbage, most people would agree. But does it require Congressional probing? NO NO NO! Shouldn't we have bigger fish to fry?

Sorry about the rant....

[TG1996]

The BCS is garbage, most people would agree. But does it require Congressional probing? NO NO NO! Shouldn't we have bigger fish to fry?

Sure there are bigger fish to fry, but if they take the angle of six conferences taking 95% of the pie, or Notre Dame getting the whole pie for themselves, and if it's really the most fair system for ALL of college football, I'm all for it. The conferences that run the BCS certainly aren't going to step up and say "you know what? let's give the MAC more money. we've been wrong." So if it takes a morning in Congress to shake it up... rock on.

If they get up and ramble on about Auburn being screwed out of the NC game last year... THEN it's silly.

[BGSUVA]

I do find it funny that the one year the BCS actually works in regards to the national championship game is the year Congress trys to step in. Something does need to be done with the bCS (getting rid of it) but Congress doesnt need to get involved in sports.

[CapitalFalcon]

Hey! Those are all your Congressmen and women! Not Mine!!!!

[BourbonFalcon]

House and Senate 171,900 175,700 180,175
still to high considering the average american is earning just over 60k nationally

Average American just over 60K????? can you back that up, because I would have to believe that's a pretty high estimate. Of course I could be in denial due to the fact that I belong to the below average group that doesn't even come close to that figure. Please let me know if I am wrong.

[Rightupinthere]

House and Senate 171,900 175,700 180,175
still to high considering the average american is earning just over 60k nationally

Average American just over 60K????? can you back that up, because I would have to believe that's a pretty high estimate. Of course I could be in denial due to the fact that I belong to the below average group that doesn't even come close to that figure. Please let me know if I am wrong.

Actually the sum is $40,400 at a household level (2004 data)

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/i ... temhi.html

[Bleeding Orange]

The WED DEC 10am the Congress of the United States of America will convien to discuss the BCS. You can view the proceedings on CSPAN and ESPN NEWS live.

You can't be serious...

If you are, this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Let's see, that's what wrong with this country... yes... the BCS and/or it's not fair that there isn't a playoff in college football. Is that it? I, personally, would rank this... LAST on any list of national concerns.

Iraq... the buget deficit... the collapsing Social Security Trust... How many people in this country live without health care?... How many homeless people live in this country?... Ethics violations/bribery in Congress... Gas prices spinning out of control... Medication perscriptions spinning out of control... ect.

But, I am sure they will get to those issues right after they correct that violation on humanity that is the BCS.

At least with steroids there was a (remote) public health concern. Here... what...? These pinheads just want to get their face on TV and intimidate people, plain and simple. And it goes for all of them (Dem./Rep./Ind.).

The BCS is garbage, most people would agree. But does it require Congressional probing? NO NO NO! Shouldn't we have bigger fish to fry?

Sorry about the rant....

Jeez, dude. Did you sleep through American Government in high school or PoliSci in college? If you think that Congress is entirely engulfed in just one issue at a time, you are sorely, sorely mistaken. This is not a hearing before the entire Senate (people need to learn to distinguish between the House and the Senate, btw - together they make Congress), but rather a Senate sub-committee of the Senate. A great deal of the Senate's time is spent in sub-committees, rather than in general session. As legislators concerned with the public-welfare, issues like steroids in baseball and trusts in college sports should be of interest to Senate sub-committees.

As you noted, steroids were a public health concern. In the case of the BCS, the concern is the egregious, and single-entity controlled commercialization of collegiate athletics, which directly impacts parity amongst educational institutions. With the kind of money that the BCS has control over, yes, legislators should be concerned with a possible trust issue. It may be true that some legislators may want face time for the sake of face time, but remember that there are others who may be legitimately concerned that universities in their district are playing for the same thing, but don't have the opportunity to reap equal rewards with schools playing at the same level in other districts. Senators from a state like Wyoming that do not govern a BCS institution would fall into this category.

I'm not saying that this is the case (basically because I don't feel like researching this very much). Still, I felt a bit of a civics lesson was in order.

[MACMAN]

I would further say that do you all realy think the what is the big ten will recieve this year 50 million all stays with the football programs.
Personal Ohio State must reciecve some state sponsorship therefore shouldny all Bowl earning be turned over to the state to be evenly divided among all state schools?
call it a bowl tax since OSU is richer than BGSU, Ou etc...lol

[JWEIII]

there are others who may be legitimately concerned that universities in their district are playing for the same thing, but don't have the opportunity to reap equal rewards with schools playing at the same level in other districts. Senators from a state like Wyoming that do not govern a BCS institution would fall into this category.

Civics lesson? OK... I undertand that every Senator and Represantitvie isn't going to attend (but I bet its more than 20).

MY POINT, which you don't seem to understand, is why is anyone, ahem, "legitimately concerned" about this? WHO CARES! If my Senator is concerned that... say Akron is getting jobed by the BCS to the point where it needs his/her attention, then he/she is an idiot and should be summarily removed from office.

Stop wasting your time, and, more importantly, MY money!

Good grief!

[Bleeding Orange]

there are others who may be legitimately concerned that universities in their district are playing for the same thing, but don't have the opportunity to reap equal rewards with schools playing at the same level in other districts. Senators from a state like Wyoming that do not govern a BCS institution would fall into this category.

Civics lesson? OK... I undertand that every Senator and Represantitvie isn't going to attend (but I bet its more than 20).

MY POINT, which you don't seem to understand, is why is anyone, ahem, "legitimately concerned" about this? WHO CARES! If my Senator is concerned that... say Akron is getting jobed by the BCS to the point where it needs his/her attention, then he/she is an idiot and should be summarily removed from office.

Stop wasting your time, and, more importantly, MY money!

Good grief!

I want you to do me a favor sometime. Go over to the Jerome Library, and tucked away in the SE corner on the first floor you'll find the Government Documents section. Ask a librarian where the Congressional Record is housed in that section, and just - at random - start pulling documents out of there. That should give you a good idea not only of the number of things that come before congress in any given year, but the (seeming) absurdity of much of it.

[JWEIII]

That should give you a good idea not only of the number of things that come before congress in any given year, but the (seeming) absurdity of much of it.

So what you are saying is that because an absurd amount of absurd things go on in congress I should have no problem with this one. Is that it? Great civics lesson: "about 90% of what we do is absurd, so get use to it."

Nonsense!

[1987alum]

That should give you a good idea not only of the number of things that come before congress in any given year, but the (seeming) absurdity of much of it.

So what you are saying is that because an absurd amount of absurd things go on in congress I should have no problem with this one. Is that it? Great civics lesson: "about 90% of what we do is absurd, so get use to it."

Nonsense!

I don't think he's saying that. I think he's saying that wasting time is SOP for Congress.

[JWEIII]

I don't think he's saying that. I think he's saying that wasting time is SOP for Congress.

EXACTLY! Why does that make this OK?

[1987alum]

I don't think he's saying that. I think he's saying that wasting time is SOP for Congress.

EXACTLY! Why does that make this OK?

It doesn't, but it also means it shouldn't be a surprise.