The BCS: A Political Approach

Well, everyone has their own ideas about how to fix the BCS. So I thought I would step back and take a political look at the system. I ask ahead of time: please pardon the flaws in this analogy.

College Football is the greatest sport on the planet. It is unique. It is exciting. Every Saturday, millions of fans across the country dedicate 3-5 hour blocks to watch, attend, and lose their voices cheering for their favorite teams. Some of us extreme addicts block out 12 hours, but that's another story. We love our college football. We all recognize that college football is not perfect, but it's still awesome. Now there is one aspect of college football that a lot of people don't like: the way the National Championship is decided.

America is the greatest country on the planet. For centuries, we have been the standard of freedom in the world. Everyday, millions of Americans are choosing how to live their lives, some wisely, others not so much. But everyday, people LIVE and BREATH and EXERCISE THEIR FREEDOM to choose. Every year, millions of people come here, some floating down a river in a tire, some clinging to the bottom of trucks, some doing it legally. The theme is: we all love America. We are not a perfect country, but there is no other place I'd rather live and breath and exercise my freedom. There are some things that ought to change.

College football, like America, needs several small changes to be implemented. We don't need some far reaching, complete overhaul: just a few changes. It didn't become the best sport by doing everything wrong, just as America didn't become the greatest country by having all of the wrong ideas. College football doesn't need to be more like collegiate lacrosse or NFL football, just as America doesn't need to be more like France or England. College football needs to be college football. America needs to be America.

You may not like the bowl system, it may not be fair, it doesn't give everyone a chance to win the National Championship, etc. It does, however, give 64 teams the chance to play a bonus game every year. Over half of the teams in NCAA football have a chance to improve themselves after the regular season. You may not like America because not every one gets to be a millionaire, or fly in a corporate jet on business trips, etc. But American capitalism benefits profitable enterprises and its employees, it allows the economy to grow, and it allows people the freedom to pursue their dreams if they choose to. It allows most everybody to live above poverty, and the majority of people to live comfortably (and then some). What other country can make that claim? It allows everyone the opportunity to improve themselves.

Instead of crying about the things College Football doesn't do, let's celebrate all the wonderful things that it does do. The system may not be perfect, but it's still the best sport there is. Don't try to make it more like France!