A Friend of Unfair Park wonders why I haven't mentioned anything about Rep. Smokey Joe Barton's decision to introduce a bill to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce that calls for the eradication of the Bowl Championship Series. Um ... because I thought he was joking? What's that? He's serious? I'll be damned. Well, then, for those who missed it and wanna give the Arlington- and Ennis-based congressman the virtual what-for, here's his press release regarding the bill that would "scrap the BCS," which was posted to his Web site this morning and which is excerpted below. C'mon, are we sure he's not kidding? --Robert Wilonsky
The Energy and Commerce Committee is vested with the responsibility for overseeing sports, and that includes the current process for determining a national college football champion: the BCS system. College football is more than an exhilarating sport, it's a billion-dollar business. I'm introducing legislation today because despite every effort to fix the problems of BCS, college seasons still end in sniping and controversy, rather than clear winners and losers determined on the field.