Was anyone else as appalled by this as I was?

Oh, I'm not defending SI not listing his state. That's sloppy. But there are at least two suggestions on this thread that it was done intentionally, presumably because of Utah's beef with the BCS. That, to me, is absurd.

 

I don't think it's absurd at all. It's entirely possible, maybe even likely, that we have some agenda-mongering by an influential sports media outlet.

And kudos to da man for being the first to suggest that this really isn't any of the government's business.

 

I totally agree it's not the government's business. But, I'd sure rather have them working on this than Cap and Trade or national health care.

 

The politicians aren't claiming to get involved in determining a national champion. They claim to be examining antitrust laws since teams like Utah and Boise State don't have a fair chance to compete.

Also at stake is hundreds of millions in BCS money. What isn't answered, however, is what solution will give Boise State the same benefit of the doubt as Ohio State. 8-team, 16-team, whatever, the big schools will get an edge. Ask basketball when Arizona is given a joke of a selection in the NCAA Tournament while a more deserving San Diego State goes to the NIT.

 

Orrin Hatch needs to bang the drums to get Utah and BYU into the Pac-10, which would solve all his problems.

 

What the hell kind of agenda-mongering is that? It's Orrin Hatch. He's been a US Senator from Utah for 32 years. If the reader doesn't know who Orrin Hatch is, the reader is too fucking dumb to be of any use in SI's "agenda."

 

Yes, SI goofed by not providing full identification.

Yes, Senator Hatch and his colleagues should be working on far more important matters than a college football playoff.

And, yes, I have far more pressing matters than either of the above to lose sleep over.

 

I am absolutely amazed that you actually, seriously believe that the average reader of Sports Illustrated has the first clue who Orrin Hatch is or why he's schleping for the University of Utah to get a bigger piece of the BCS pie. The average Joe on the street barely knows who his own senators are, let alone those from another state.

 

When was the last time SI was an influential sports media outlet? 1987?

 

What about TCU?

 

Why would he care? Hatch isn't from Texas.

 

Rookie mistake, but I also find it problematic that a politician is actually 1) writing in a sports magazine and 2) wasting any amount of time discussing the BCS.

We've got two wars, a major economic recession, and countless political crises and Hatch wastes a page discussing the BCS? Everyone involved in deciding that was a good idea should be fired.