Important homeland issues being discussed among US senators

[Blake]

Earlier this week, the Big 12 conference appeared ready to admit West Virginia into the league—a move so certain that university officials began tipping off members of their current conference, the Big East. But on Tuesday, the Big 12 abruptly backed off its overtures to the Mountaineers, leaving school officials in limbo and wondering what had happened.

On Wednesday, West Virginia received a key clue. The New York Times' Pete Thamel reported that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had lobbied officials at two Big 12 schools on behalf of his alma mater, the University of Louisville, which also is vying for a spot in the conference.

According to the Times, McConnell spoke to David Boren, a former Democratic senator from Oklahoma who is now president of the University of Oklahoma, and Kent Hance, a former Republican representative from Texas who is now chancellor at Texas Tech. The conversations "played a role in raising Louisville's fortunes" in the conference re-alignment fight, Thamel wrote....

....Not surprisingly, McConnell's alleged lobbying prompted anger among the two senators from West Virginia, Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin, who are both Democrats. They have called on the Senate to investigate whether McConnell inappropriately interfered in the football drama.

....

"If a United States senator has done anything inappropriate or unethical to interfere with a decision that the Big 12 had already made—then I believe that there should be an investigation in the U.S. Senate, and I will fight to get to the truth," Manchin said in a statement. "West Virginians and the American people deserve to know exactly what is going on and whether politics is interfering with our college sports."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/mitch-mcconnell-stiff-arm-keep-west-virginia-big-171224651.html

Luckily our Founding Fathers had the foresight to make provisions in the Constitution for just such imminent threats.


Fuck these assholes.

[ElNono]

But Darrin just posted a video that shows there's jobs everywhere :cry :cry :cry

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Lol Tim Tebow made about $150k in 4 years in Florida. Fuck college sports and there exploitation of young men and women for free labor.

[coyotes_geek]

http://www.emotionscards.com/trivia/memorialday/founding-fathers.jpg

See, there. Article I, Section 11. What's a 'BCS'?

[Blake]

http://www.emotionscards.com/trivia/memorialday/founding-fathers.jpg

See, there. Article I, Section 11. What's a 'BCS'?

G Washington: "I propose a fair and honest system of checks and balances......i.e. a "playoff system".

Arnold, I am putting this into your hands to see this through.

[CosmicCowboy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4870657

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is considering several steps that would review the legality of the controversial Bowl Championship Series, the Justice Department said in a letter Friday to a senator who had asked for an antitrust review.

In the letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch, obtained by The Associated Press, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote that the Justice Department is reviewing Hatch's request and other materials to determine whether to open an investigation into whether the BCS violates antitrust laws.

"Importantly, and in addition, the administration also is exploring other options that might be available to address concerns with the college football postseason," Weich wrote, including asking the Federal Trade Commission to review the legality of the BCS under consumer protection laws.

Several lawmakers and many critics want the BCS to switch to a playoff system, rather than the ratings system it uses to determine the teams that play in the championship game.

"The administration shares your belief that the current lack of a college football national championship playoff with respect to the highest division of college football ... raises important questions affecting millions of fans, colleges and universities, players and other interested parties," Weich wrote.

Weich made note of the fact that President Barack Obama, before he was sworn in, had stated his preference for a playoff system. In 2008, Obama said he was going to "to throw my weight around a little bit" to nudge college football toward a playoff system, a point that Hatch stressed when he urged Obama last fall to ask the department to investigate the BCS.

Weich 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.

Weich noted that several undefeated teams have not had a chance to play for the national championship, including TCU and Boise State this year and Utah last year.

"This seemingly discriminatory action with regard to revenues and access have raised questions regarding whether the BCS potentially runs afoul of the nation's antitrust laws," he wrote.

Hatch, a Utah Republican, was steamed that his home state team was deprived of getting a chance to play for the title last year.

"I'm encouraged by the administration's response," he said in a statement. "I continue to believe there are antitrust issues the administration should explore, but I'm heartened by its willingness to consider alternative approaches to confront the tremendous inequities in the BCS that favor one set of schools over others. The current system runs counter to basic fairness that every family tries to instill in their children from the day they are born."

Under the BCS, the champions of six conference have automatic bids to play in top-tier bowl games, while the other conferences don't. Those six conferences also receive more money than the other conferences, although the BCS announced this week that the ones that don't have automatic bids will receive a record $24 million from this year's bowl games.

"This letter is nothing new and if the Justice Department thought there was a case to be made, they likely would have made it already," BCS executive director Bill Hancock said in a released statement.

"There is much less to this letter than meets the eye. The White House knows that with all the serious issues facing the country, the last thing they should do is increase the deficit by spending money to investigate how the college football playoffs are played," the statement continued. "With all due respect to Senator Hatch, he is overstating this importance of the letter he received from the Office of Legislative Affairs."

[coyotes_geek]

^ This article should be titled "Politicians desparate to talk about something other than the economy"

[FuzzyLumpkins]

It is a multibillion dollar industry that uses collusion in the form of the NCAA to agree to not pay players. Its horseshit. I have not watched college athletics in over a decade.

[TeyshaBlue]

^ This article should be titled "Politicians desparate to talk about something other than the economy"
:lol:toast