Comments on: College Football is Un-American

By: Robin Anderson

Robin Anderson — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 22:50:49 +0000

Now that might make for a good intra-state rivalry…Mt. Union against the rest of the MAC! Oops! Sorry, I forgot about the monetary value required of such grandoise "valliant struggles", eh?

Much better that the likes of the U. of A. get their butts stomped by Nebraska or K.S.U. or Youngstown State be devastated by the likes of THE Ohio State University! Wow! Is OSU ever #1…gawd!

By: Professor Stefan Padfield

Professor Stefan Padfield — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:53:06 +0000

My blog headline was clearly overinclusive:

Mount Union Wins 10th NCAA Division III National Championship

http://www2.muc.edu/athletics/athletics_archive/men_s_teams/football/2008_Season/08fbgm15.aspx

By: Dan S.

Dan S. — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 20:29:01 +0000

Hmmmm, what about dem Purple Raiders? They DID go through the playoffs, and I believe they are as much or more an "American" team than any you have mentioned. Or is this just another case of the little guy (literally) getting ignored again because his parents were not huge or he refused to take size and performance enhancing substances while he was 'growing up'?

By: Robin Anderson

Robin Anderson — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:19:17 +0000

How droll…some folk seem to think that a football game played between the likes of The OSU and any MAC team should have any significance at all. Most definitely not a "public use".

Or see…THE NFL REPORTING PROJECT
How Much Do Teams Give to Colleges and Universities?
About this Project
Karl Idsvoog | Assistant Professor | kidsvoog@kent.edu

…at

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:14:38 +0000

Prof. Padfield – you make a nice argument, but I have to take issue with a few points:

1. A system such as the BCS that, admittedly, is designed to mostly exclude "weaker" conferences such as the Mountain West is very American. Think about why, in politics, third parties hardly survive two election cycles… the American political system is well-deisgned for two major parties. Does anyone care about the Green Party anymore? The Reform Party? What about "free" markets that entrench powerful companies to the exclusion of smaller ones? Powerful interests setting up systems that keep them in power, for better or worse, is a hallmark of American reality.

2. It seems that implicit in your comments is the college football playoff bandwagon. Personally, I think that what makes college football great is that every game matters, and a top-8-team playoff system would destroy what makes the game so unique and exciting. Remember UCLA beating USC a few years ago when USC was supposed to meet Ohio State in the title game? I watched that game, riveted to the TV. Lots of drama. An 8-team playoff would have made that game meaningless.

That's not to say that a playoff wouldn't be exciting – sure, it may be, and maybe it's a better way of determining a national champion. At the end of the day, though, why is it that big of a deal? National titles are great, they're a source of pride, sure, but there are other things at the college level that are important that go beyond the game.

Ultimately, the BCS system is intended to increase interest and to pit top teams against each other (which the old bowl system didn't always do). It has made the game more exciting, but it's also led to over-hype, tabloid journalism, and win-first, win-now, win-all-the-time mentalities that have taken away from the game (which are also very American). A playoff would only add to that. Leave that stuff for professionals.

Thanks for your article, I hope it provokes a little thought (instead of emotional knee-jerk reactions and name-calling, as I see so often in other sports discussions) for others.