Alternate Realities

Last night Luke and I went on a date and, besides the absence of crazies that two little boys usually bring, we had a normal night. We ate a normal dinner (Hasta la Pasta, yum), saw a movie at a normal theater (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past...ehhhh, a rather risque take on a Dickens idea) and had normal dessert at a normal cafe (Ohh la la...decent cupcakes, great cheesecake). After our delightful yet entirely normal evening we returned home to spend some time hanging out on the couch and watching some normal tv and having normal conversation. And that's the last thing I remember -- of normal anyway.

We were watching a little late night ESPN, checking on the draft picks and their first days at mini-camps when I was shocked awake from what I thought was my normal life. ESPN reported that Mr. Barton, a representative from the 6th district of our great state of Texas, is currently holding subcommittee hearings on the Bowl Championship Series. Mr. Barton in these hearings compared the BCS to communism (seriously someone get the man a dictionary -- I don't think he understands the idea of communism) and claimed that the BCS was ruled by something green (he later clarified he meant money and not the environment -- glad he cleared that up, wouldn't want anyone to think he was ridiculous...and may I add a huge DUH to the money observation). Mr. Barton ended the session by giving the chairman of the BCS, Mr. Swofford, a two-month deadline to voluntarily change the BCS to a play-off system or the government would get involved. It was at this point I realized I must in fact be living in an alternate reality; despite my limited mathematical knowledge, a reality whose adjective must surely be perpendicular rather than parallel. Mr. Barton, rather than working on a viable solution to an economic situation that could very well turn into the worst economic disaster our country has seen in almost 80 years, has decided a better use of his tax-payer supplied salary is to talk football. Perhaps Mr. Barton doesn't have a penchant for numbers -- well by all means please consider the other hundreds of issues waiting that are surely more pressing: energy, education, healthcare, the social security system, foreign affairs, the TWO different wars currently underway, etc. Logic would seem to dictate that the state of the BCS is by far one of the lowest priorites for our government employees. The only explanation is that we are in fact living in an alternate reality.

Dropping politics for a moment, I have to say as a fanatical football fan that the idea of the government involving themselves in the sport turns my stomach. As if it wasn't bad enough that the government had to involve itself in baseball, America's pasttime. Now it wants to mess with the last untouched bastion of good ole American competition. A big message to Boise State and Utah, two of the universities advocating government intervention: put on your big boy underwear and deal with it. I realize that Boise State has gone undefeated several times with no BCS bid and that Utah went undefeated last year with no opportunity to play in the BCS title game. Perhaps this is less because of money and more because BIG WHOOPITY DOO -- Boise State and Utah went undefeated. Without the smurf blue field would anyone know about Boise State? I doubt it. And I don't have fond memories watching a great Utah football game throughout the years (my apologies to alumni from both schools...but let's be realistic shall we??). Of course there are exceptions to this rule -- my husband would know but he is a rare breed with a steel trap of a memory for sports information and trivia. Additionally, the monetary aspect cannot be ignored. Bowl games are successful because fans show up to watch the game; no fans show up, no money made, no success. There is a reason that the PAC10, the SEC, the BIG12 have guaranteed bids -- people want to watch those teams play. These fans want to watch badly enough that they are willing to pay money for tickets (sometimes a LOT of money) and the ones who don't venture to the game will sit for four hours on the couch, enduring four hours filled with commercials -- advertising that helped pay the bills to put on the big shows.

In every good persuasive paper the author must at least address the opposing side; I will even go so far as to concede a few points. I understand that the BCS as it remains is biased. I understand that a play-off system of some sort would be better (with a small bracket -- maybe 4 teams...Luke's idea not mine). What I refuse to concede, however, is that the government is a necessary player in the decision.

I don't know much but I do know that if I lived in the 6th district of Texas I would be shopping for a new candidate -- someone who wouldn't spend my money gabbing about football all day.

***In the interest of equality, it should be noted that Mr. Barton is not the only Congressmen involved. Orrin Hatch has scheduled the issue for the antitrust subcommittee hearings this session. There is another one too...but he wasn't from Texas and I didn't care enough about him to remember his name.