Obama to Regulate College Football

One day shortly after the Second World War ended, Winston Churchill and Labour Party Prime Minister Clement Attlee encountered one another at the urinal trough in the House of Common's men's washroom. Attlee arrived first. When Churchill arrived, he stood as far away from him as possible. Attlee said, "Feeling standoffish today, are we, Winston?" Churchill said: "That's right. Every time you see something big, you want to nationalize it."

I'm reminded of that story by news that President Obama plans to regulate the college football playoff system. To be sure, I understand that there are political points to be had by doing so, because there are some powerful Senators whose home state football squads think they get screwed by the BCS system (I'm talking about you Orin Hatch, who ought to be a limited government guy). 

With the government already running the banks and the auto industry, and trying to take over the health care industry, however, one might have hoped that sports would escape the ravening maw of Leviathan. 

But I guess Attlee and Obama are kindred spirits.

Comments

[Cornellian]

So Senator Hatch asks for an antitrust review of college football, the Administration says they're thinking about it, and to you that's "plans to regulate the college football playoff system?"

[Hogarth]

It's not that much of a leap, Cornellian, given statements made by the president that he thought he might just "throw his weight around" on this very topic. After all, he was pretty honest with Joe The Plumber when he indicated that he thought it would be a great idea to "spread the wealth" around.

One has to watch for these rare moments of naked truth and prepare accordingly.

Now, you could be forgiven for believing Obama to be all talk, no walk at this point, but that appears to only be true 99% of the time. This might just be one of those one percenters.

[Danube of Thought]

The Administration said more than that they're "thinking about" an antitrust review. According to the AP, an Assistant Attorney General named Welch "said that other options include encouraging the NCAA to take control of the college football postseason; asking a governmental or non-governmental commission to review the costs, benefits and feasibility of a playoff system; and legislative efforts aimed at prompting a switch to a playoff system."

[Bigfingo]

I personally don't think the Government can manage a good bowel movement in the morning much less a college playoff system. I'll give you a couple of take aways that will explain my beliefs; Social Security, Medicare, the DMV, the IRS, this list could go on for a long time so I won't waste any more of yours, but you get the picture.

[Teki Setsu]

Next, Obama takes on the Miss America contest followed by American Idol and the Acadamy Awards.

[Bohemond]

Soon we'll be seeing a consent degree in which DOJ and the Division 1A colleges agree to have intermural football administered by the new Department of Strength Through Joy.....

[Mike M.]

This is classic, textbook totalitarian by the numbers.

The message is not about football, or cars, or banks, or health care. It's about your soul, your mind, your freedom, your dignity, your likes and dislikes, your life.

The message is: Nothing belongs to youm even your fan-ness. If there might be something that you think does belong to you; think again. Yesterday you found out that cars are mine. Today you found out it was football. Tomorroiw it will be your book club or your backyard garden. I own you, and every part of you, even the ones you don't know about yet.

You'd better start thinking my way. I'm going to destroy you either way, but if you are with me it might go better for you. Your life is fear before me. Now, go watch a football game.

[Shalom Beck]

NCAA football is a corrupt, racially exploitative monopoly. Read _The Blind Side_!
I am sure the software industry could make higher profits if they could somehow force key employees to work for free, too.

[DavidN]

I think you guys are somewhat missing the point. This isn't about the government trying to control everything--it's about the government trying to solve all the problems of the country, whether they have any business intervening or not. I'm not much of a college football fan, but even I know that pretty much everyone who *is* a fan absolutely hates the BCS system. So Obama's going to fix it. You don't like it that it rains too much in your part of the country? If Obama can figure out a way to do it semi-credibly, he'll pass a law ordering the clouds to go elsewhere. Part of this is genuine desire to help the public, tempered with the silliness to think he can improve something like this, and part is misdirection: the economy's in the toilet, but at least Obama fixed the BCS thing!

[Steven Mitchell]

I was thinking about Churchill and Attlee in regards to Obama this morning on my way to work. No kidding. Only I was thinking of an inversion of Churchill's famous description of Attlee as applied to Obama--an arrogant man with much to be modest about.

[plutosdad]

I thought the President was joking when he said that during the election, I still think so.

But certainly people in government have no reservation when it comes to expanding government control.

I'd kinda like a playoff system too, but Hatch would have to accept that his teams would get blown out by Southern boys every year. Having 3/4 of the country simply not be competative in the playoffs might be worse for college ball.

[will47]

It looks to me like the DOJ is simply exploring alternatives to a potential antitrust prosecution. I don't see how this is different from, say, George W's fixation with steroids in professional baseball, or Congress's extraction of a promise from the NFL not to run games on Fridays and Saturdays in the college/high school football season. I think we're defining totalitarianism down here, to a level at which pretty much all politicians could be deemed totalitarians. Don't forget that while Pres. Obama is proposing some regulations, it's really people like Rick Perry and Charlie Crist and Bob Riley who are controlling the means of production of college football.

[kay]

DAVIDN's post was my favorite and Salmon Beck voted for Nancy and is clueless.

David is right. The goverment is going to solve it all, LOL.

Though I an a SEC fan and which means my team BAMA took that BCS home this year just like FL did last. What can we say SEC rules and I would love to see Obama and his little adminstration go up against the SEC, ROFLMAO. I am sure he is not that worried about the vote since we all voted not to have him and that only ones left was FL and NC which I am pretty sure have changed their minds at this point. Since he won both states with less an a 1 percent advantage. Wonder if Acorn had anything to do with that?

[TR Jones]

You are absurd. President Obama is not talking about regulating anything. He simply wants to knock down the existing system--a system that 90% of fans (literally, 90%) hate and a system that gave $430M more to six privileged conferences than to non-privileged conferences the last 5 years.