Sports: Congress needs to butt out of sports

By Jeremy Wise

Published: May 15, 2008

We have rising gas prices, rising food prices and a severe housing market problem.

We have a growing national deficit, a growing inflation rate and severe questions about foreign policies (secure borders, terrorism, etc.).

These are questions that can be answered by government, but Congress would rather discuss whether the Patriots taped other teams’ practices, whether a
certain baseball player used steroids or human growth hormone or whether the Bowl Championship Series needs to be fixed.

I have two words to Congress: Butt out!

Now, I will admit I am not a big believer in big government.

I believe the capitalist system will fix most economic problems, but a few things are so necessary that a little regula-tion is needed for them.

I understand that sports are a big part of a nation’s culture, and I understand that collegiate and professional sports are multi-billion-dollar industries in the United States.

Do we, however, need Congress discussing football playoffs, especially when heavier issues lie in the balance?

An April 17 Associated Press report said Reps. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., and Mike Simpson, R-Idaho were introducing a resolution to reject the BCS playoff system because only major universities are allowed to play in the biggest bowl games.

It is an anti-trust issue, they say.

I disagree. It is a competitive issue, and the BCS has a provision to allow smaller colleges to play in the BCS games.

All they have to do is win all their games, including their conference championships, and they can play with the big boys.

Undoubtedly, Abercrombie is mad about Hawaii’s exclusion from the national championship title game. Hawaii filled the BCS requirements, but missed the title game.

They did, however, compete in the multi-million-dollar Sugar Bowl and were embarrassed on a national level by Westmoreland’s Georgia team.

It proved that most smaller college programs are not deserving of the big time.

Only Simpson’s Boise State and Utah won a BCS game in which a smaller college played.

The small colleges have, on average, easier conferences. They don’t face Arkansas, Florida, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Florida State, Florida, Texas and Texas
Tech on a weekly basis. They have to prove themselves each week with wins, just like everyone else.

The representatives can’t argue that small universities do not have a shot at bowl games.

Every conference has at least one tie-in, and most have at least two.

Last year, 64 of 119 teams played in a bowl game. That is more than half, and guess what, there is a new bowl this year, so two more get to go.

I believe that is more than fair.

I can write all day about the BCS, its flaws and why I think we need a playoff, but in the end, the BCS allows ways for small colleges to get money.

Do we really need our government legislating our sports?

I understand the steroids issue has a profound social effect. These supposed “role models” are setting bad examples for kids.

Why aren’t the parents role models?

Did Congress put the heat on baseball to start investigating the situation?

In the end, it was one man with one book shedding the light on the subject before Congress got involved.

These hearings cost a lot of taxpayer money. They consume a lot of time and hours that could be used to debate the use of switchgrass for making ethanol.

The time could be used to develop a strategy to solve the illegal immigration problem, and so forth.

In the end, the consumer has the power with the dollar (which is weak, another issue that may need to be ad-dressed.).

We can choose not to spend our money on collegiate football gear and tickets because we don’t like the way the champion is decided. We can elect to not attend baseball or NFL games because we believe cheating is rampant in the game.

When we vote to not support the sports with our pocketbook, they will ask us, “What is the problem?”

Then we can tell them our beefs. We don’t need a federal lawmaker to do that for us.

Do we?

Jeremy Wise is the sports editor of The Enterprise Ledger. He can be reached by e-mail at .