Friday, December 05, 2008

Obama, Title IX, and College Football

University Presidents are finally squirming over President, Barack Obama's, remarks about his preference for a college football playoff. Obama was calmly discussing the matter during a recent interview on "Sixty Minutes." In an effort to reward mediocrity, college leaders adamantly oppose a playoff'; they understand Obama is probably the only one who can eradicate the mythical BCS Bowl Championship: a complicated design whereby geographically pressured writers, coaches, and several computers select the finalist for the so called National Championship game. Unlike everyone else, the colleges are wise enough to realize Obama knows the Bowl Alliance violates prong 3 of Title IX. A clause in the revolutionary ruling mandating equal rights for women in athletics has been modified for men also. For example, one paragraph says universities must demonstrate a continual expansion of athletic opportunities for the underrepresented sex. Since males are virtually outnumbered two to one on most collegiate campuses, they are the minority. For the first time, women teams outnumber male squads. If the NCAA, therefore, offers women finals in soccer, equestrian events, golf, or any other sport, they are violating title IX by not offering the same opportunities for football players. College presidents have been skirting this element of Title IX for years and now they fear Obama will call them on it. If the Democratic elected President gets Congress to study the issue, public universities could lose millions of dollars in Federal loans by ignoring this new point in Title IX. For the good of the country, a silly tool used to crown a mythical champion could be replaced by a real playoff. In the meantime, the Texas Longhorns, USC Trojans, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders will sit by idly as two handpicked teams contend for a mythical national title. Let's hope for -Obama's sake- that this becomes a change we all can believe in.

My Picks for this key weekend of college football:
Take Bama and the points against Florida. The Tide's defense is vastly underrated, and Percy Harvin's injury will have major impact on this game.
In the NFL, I think the Dallas Cowboys are a lock to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Carolina Panthers, meanwhile, will avenge their earlier lost to the offensively ham-fisted Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Panthers played the first game minus center, Ryan Kalil as well as 6'6 320 lb, tackle, Jeff Otah. Wide receiver, Steve Smith, meanwhile, has returned to his all pro form. The Panthers will cover the spread.

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