Columns about college football are not my usual fare. Although I love the sport, I do understand that it is an entertainment and public relations tool for most colleges and universities. Football provides a minimal contribution to the solutions for the problems that vex our nation and our societies. My favorite team is The Ohio State Buckeyes although I pay rather close attention to others as well. I attended my first Buckeye game in 1954 and have avidly followed the fortunes of OSU since then. The Buckeye football program has just completed a tumultuous year. Some players traded memorabilia for tattoos, and a few of those same players were improperly compensated for questionable jobs. The head coach was forced to resign in disgrace, and the NCAA levied penalties against the school and the program for their failure to properly oversee the rules compliance aspects. The OSU football team lost 3 scholarships per year for 2012-2014 (they will be limited to 82 scholarship players per season rather than the maximum 85), were banned from any bowl participation in 2012 season and early 2013 (includes not playing in Big Ten Championship if they qualify), and the program will be on probation for five years….meaning any violation of any magnitude will result in very harsh additional sanctions.
Without addressing the wisdom and the justice of the penalties, the entire fiasco does shed some light on big-time collegiate athletics and may be helpful for a comparison to our present operation of the federal government. There are three oversight entities at play in addition to the Buckeye athletic department: the Big Ten, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the BCS (Bowl Championship Series). Each of them is a voluntary association or organization which the Ohio State University Athletic Department has joined. Upon joining each group, OSU agreed to abide by the rules and regulations of each respective organization. As you may have noticed this past couple of years, teams have left their respective conferences to join others. The Big Ten is the conference with which Ohio State is aligned and because of OSU’s status as a member since 1912, the Buckeyes will NOT be exiting the Big Ten. The NCAA is a voluntary association of college and university presidents plus athletic directors that was formed to establish uniform rules and standards including academic requirements for all the participating institutions. The BCS is a collection of NCAA affiliate conferences that oversees post-season bowl participation and qualifications for the representative schools. In recent years the NCAA and the BCS have encountered some opposition for a number of reasons. The difficulties arise from two major perceptions: inequity and unfairness. NCAA penalties and processes are characterized as uneven and too slow. BCS criteria are under fire for their presumed arbitrariness and capriciousness. So it is with the federal government of our United States of America.
Just as the collegiate associations have become powerful and dominant, the U.S. Government has grown so large that it is nearly impossible for one to successfully challenge its excesses. Even though the organizations are voluntary ones if the Buckeyes were to withdraw from any of them, they would probably be isolated and ostracized. A similar situation encapsulates our nation. The Federal Government is a creation of the voluntary association of the states. Each state is a sovereign unit that merged with the others to enhance their defense and ease commercial activity. As the federal behemoth has grown much larger and exceeded its constitutional mandate, the states find themselves in awkward positions.
Just as the uneven display of rule by the collegiate governing bodies has caused some to question their power, authority and relevance so too has the overreaching manipulations of the United States’ federal government caused many to question the wisdom of remaining with a constitutionally voluntary alliance that seeks to govern an ungovernable population. Smaller, more homogeneous groups might develop into more robust and peaceful entities. Individual states might reclaim their lost sovereignty or merge with other like-minded states to form new regional sovereign units that can exercise treaties and cooperative agreements with other similar state units for common purposes. The original intent of The Constitution of the United States of America would be recaptured, restored and renewed. A cluster of 50 or fewer united sovereign states would be greater and more powerful than the whole. The sum of the parts and the corresponding liberty and prosperity could usher in a new era of freedom.
In the great scheme of life on this planet college football and its governance is relatively meaningless. Distraction and entertainment are its primary contributions to our quality of life. Its current situation, though, does offer a stark parallel to that of our nation. Meaning and purpose are critical for survival and prosperity. Drifting aimlessly along without firm convictions and solid commitment is nearly impossible for the long term. Inertia and decadence assume control of the national will…..and the outcome is the death of a dream.
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