Republicans want to control the football; college football

I oppose both the Democrats and the Republicans. My reason for this opposition is simple; I believe in a limited government and a government and citizenry that minds it own damn business. Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans show any interest in minding their own damn business.

It is the Republican Party, however, that claims to stand for limited government. Unfortunately the current Republican Party seems to stand more for foolishness than for any serious, thoughtful philosophy of governance. And, every once in a while, a Republican does something that stands out above and beyond their typical modus operandi of ineffective communications, silly priorities, and sexual escapades. George Will’s column dated today gives us a wonderful example.

Republican Representative Joe Barton, a legislator about whom the website who runs Gov says, “his blunt and colorful voice has shown no signs of quieting,” determined that college football is in need of Congressional wisdom. Barton has introduced the College Football Playoff Act of 2009 which says: It shall be unlawful to “promote, market, or advertise” a postseason Division I football game as a national championship game unless it is “the final game of a single elimination post-season playoff system” for which all Division I teams are, at the beginning of the season, equally eligible.

I won’t go into a discussion of the virtues of one or another of the potential approaches to the college football playoffs because this is a political blog not a sports blog. I have confidence in the abilities of the sports writers and bloggers to handle this one. It’s a shame that an alleged supportor of limited government such as Barton doesn’t recognize this same dividing line. Congress has no business interfering with college basketball or any other sport. Apparently Barton cites interstate commerce as his justification for this legislation. His attempt to justify this blatant intrusion by invoking the Constitution is reprehensible at best and risks further stretching Congressesional authority to permit Congress to do anything it damn well pleases.

To be sure, there is a lot of money at stake in this question, and, as the Wall Street Journal pointed out, there are those that support Congressional involvement.

“Our nation has weightier issues to tackle, but this issue merits some attention because college football is a billion-dollar enterprise that affects schools’ funding for athletic programs, scholarships and capital projects,” said Matt Sanderson, one of the founders of Playoff PAC, a group pushing for a new selection system. “That’s important in this economy.”

This kind of foolishness should cause engaged citizens and dedicated sports fans alike to recall Barton and make him retake a high school civics course in the company of Sanderson and his Playoff PAC buddies. But that’s wishful thinking. Barton will probably end up with front row seats as part of a deal negotiated by Congress to make its federally controlled car company, GM, the official sponsor of college basketball and perhaps tie the players that go pro into managing their money at one of the federally owned banks.

Okay, so I was a little bit extreme in that last paragraph. I hope.

I keep searching for a worthy way to conclude this story, but all I keep coming up with is that Republicans are a bunch of hypocrites. How can you possibly talk about limited government when you continue to use government to benefit your constituents, enforce your social issues, and to address your pet projects?

Republicans: Mind Your Own Damn Business Politics!

Tagged as: bowl, college football, college football bowl games, college football playoff act, college football playoffs, congress, Democrat, football, george will, interstate commerce clause, joe barton, playoff games, Republican, sports