Economy? Healthcare? BCS!

The Assistant Attorney General of the United States of America is a man named Ronald Weich.  Mr. Weich has written a letter to Senator Orrin Hatch that says that the Justice Department is reviewing Senator Hatch's request to determine whether the BCS violates provisions of the Sherman Antitrust Act. 

Let that sink in for a moment.

Senator Orrin Hatch is a Republican from the state of Utah.  The University of Utah felt slighted by the BCS last year and may have deserved consideration to play for the BCS championship.  Neighboring Boise State had the same complaint this year.

Pause to ponder.

Barack Obama the candidate said he favored the creation of a championship playoff system for college football and might "throw his weight around" if elected.

I heard that at the time it was said and laughed it off. 

Back to Mr. Weich's letter to Senator Hatch, it says,   "The administration shares your belief that the current lack of a college football national championship playoff with respect to the highest division of college football ... raises important questions affecting millions of fans, colleges and universities, players and other interested parties."

Ooooo...we have heard stuff like this before, my friends, and it makes me very, very uncomfortable.

This little look-see is not about football, nor is about fairness, nor is it even about the source of almost every decision and disagreement, money.   There will be much rhetoric bandied about in order to make the facts fit the needs of the inquisition.  While I am not a legal expert, I've done a little research and from my perspective there will not be a lot of tailoring needed to make this suit fit the anti-trust model, so that's not much of an issue. 

The marquee issue here is that our little pastime has become the latest plaything of politicians run amok. Class, identify which of the following statements doesn't belong:

• Our unemployment rate is a daily depressing headline. 
•  There is no workable response to the challenges of healthcare. 
• Our national debt is so big as to be incomprehensible. 
• Our Department of Justice is concerned that there are inequities in college football. 

Friday I'll share some thoughts about the Senior Bowl.  Today, I have to go sit in a corner and be sad.

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