Justice Department Considers Investigating BCS for Anti-Trust
The Obama administration is considering a probe into the legality and fairness of college football’s Bowl Championship Series (BCS).
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R – Utah, has complained to the government that, “The current system runs counter to basic fairness that every family tries to instill in their children from the day they are born. It is systematically unfair, jeopardizing students, players, education quality, ethics and true competition,”
According to CNN, the Justice Department is now reviewing whether to launch an inquiry into the BCS system to see if any U.S. anti-trust laws are being violated.
Assistant Attorney General Ronald Welch says the issue “raises important questions affecting millions of fans, colleges and universities, players and other interested parties.”
“Importantly, and in addition, the Administration also is exploring other options that might be available to address concerns with the college football post-season,” said Welch. He noted that President Obama says the sport should have an eight-game playoff, CNN stated.
“Many believe the BCS is unfair to the conferences and schools that are not part of the automatically qualifying conferences,” Welch said.
While the Feds are at it, perhaps the size of college marching bands should be looked into – or the qualifications for selecting cheerleaders.
With all the problems we face, having the Justice Department investigate the NCAA playoff system appears to be warning that everything is now on the table.
The complaint that the NCAA and BCS amount to a cartel that imposes its own will on all college sporting events has been simmering for some time. Several members of Congress have expressed the desire to pursue legislation and/or an anti-trust investigation into the BCS series. Major League Baseball was granted an exemption from anti-trust laws, but Congress has never seen fit to provide the same exemption for the National Football League or other sports.