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Take a stand, force college football's hand
Let's imagine for a second that group grows to the point where Paul wins the primary elections in a vast majority of the states. Then, let's imagine delegates from those states refuse to nominate him at the national convention. Instead, they nominate Rudy Giuliani because: 1) he is more of a household name, and 2) there are some companies with deep pockets pressuring them behind the scenes. Think there might be a little bit of an uproar? Of course there would. Delegates are bound to listen to their constituents. Right? Technically, they're not (at least in states with non-binding primaries), but most are smart enough to realize they'd surely be voted out of office for so obviously slapping those constituents in the face. It's one of the aspects of our political system that makes it the best in the world: The majority of the voters (through what is in essence a playoff system) get the presidential candidates they want. So why can't college football fans get the playoff system a vast majority wants? Because we can't vote the commissioners of the six Bowl Championship Series conferences out of office. That's why. I'm not here to argue why the BCS system doesn't work. I shouldn't have to. Ten years of repeated failure pretty much speaks for itself. Besides, there is no argument. At this point, this is not a debate. Aside from the TV analysts who won't lobby for a playoff because the networks they work for have too much money riding on the current system, the majority of the fan base has already decided a playoff system is best. Everyone in their right mind (including those who favor the bowl system) at least acknowledges the system doesn't work, and logic dictates a playoff system is, by its very nature, infallible. So why don't we have a playoff system at the Division I level? Because a very small group of men pander to corporations rather than fans. It's insane. For those who might think "insane" is too strong a word, consider this: How many private business owners could stay afloat by refusing to give their customers what they want -- even after the customers have expressed to them that it's what they want? Since I can't think of any private businesses getting subsidized by other private businesses, I'm going to go with none. In essence, a refusal to institute a playoff system in college football is anti-capitalism for the sake of capitalism. Or to be more precise, it's a small group of men (read: BCS conference commissioners and the corporate sponsors of bowl games with automatic tieins to those conferences) reminding the world they can do whatever they want because they have money, and that there's nothing we can do about it. Well, there are some things fans can do. First, they can boycott the games. If enough people refuse to watch the games and ratings dip significantly, the corporations that pay top dollar to produce and air commercials during the games and to plaster their company logos all over the stadiums will think twice before they pony up more cash the next year. The problem with this is that it's a pretty big sacrifice for the fans. After all, there's nothing wrong with the product itself. It's not like people refusing to buy New Coke because it didn't taste as good as the original formula. College football itself is as good or better than it has ever been, and fans shouldn't have to sacrifice their enjoyment of the product. Second, fans can boycott the corporate sponsors. This is fairly reasonable. Fans can simply identify the major bowl-game sponsors whose products they use and write them a letter. For instance, if you typically buy Tostitos-brand chips (Fiesta Bowl), write the company and let officials know you've been a good customer for years, but until there is a playoff system in college football you'll be buying another brand and encouraging others to do the same. It can't hurt. Third, fans can write a letter to the commissioners of each conference. Let them know their greed isn't appreciated. A handful of letters won't do anything, but thousands upon thousands could at least make it tougher for these guys to sleep at night. While it doesn't happen too often, we do live in a country where a spirited, collective voice can elect an underdog such as Ron Paul to the most powerful position in the world. You mean to tell me in a country where a collective voice can have that much power, we can't change something so comparatively insignificant as college football? I refuse to believe that.
* Here are the mailing addresses and phone numbers for the six BCS conference commissioners: |
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