Unemployment. Health care. The national deficit. Global warming. Federal bailouts. Earned Income Tax Credit. Medicare/Medicaid. Social Security. Alabama versus Texas.Okay, who can tell me which of the above has not recently been discussed in Congress?

If you guessed none, sadly, you’re right.

On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee approved legislation endorsing the creation of a playoff system for college football.

As it stands, the bill would prohibit advertisements declaring a “national championship” game because it did not result from a playoff.

Ironically, the bill was sponsored by Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, whose Texas Longhorns greatly benefitted from the BCS system.

According to the AP, Barton said, “The BCS system is unfair and won’t change unless prompted by Congress.”

(By the way, when he’s not busy with college football, Barton moonlights as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Your tax dollars at work, folks!)

Needless to say, the bill faces heavy opposition, mostly because other representatives think that it’s a waste of time. Rep. John Barrow, D-Ga., has been the most vocal opponent of the legislation to date.

“With all due respect, I really think we have more important things to spend our time on,” Barrow told the AP.

Things like unemployment, health care, the national deficit, global warming, federal bailouts, the EITC, Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security perhaps?

Of course, this is not the first time Congress has stuck its snout into the trough of the sports world:

U.S. Sen. George Mitchell spearheaded the investigation into steroid abuse in Major League Baseball, constructing the now-infamous Mitchell Report. Many players, mostly future Hall-of-Famers, have been called before Congress to explain the role of steroids in the game;

In 2007, Congress petitioned the NFL to reform its banned substances policy when a player was suspended for violating said policy, yet was allowed to play in the Pro Bowl;

And, both the NHL and the NBA have been questioned by Congress in regard to their own respective banned substances policies.

As you’ve probably noticed, the difference between these cases and the college football case is drugs. Congress has jurisdiction over steroids and other medically beneficial drugs under the Federally Controlled Substances Act.

Technically, that means they’re not out of line when they subpoena juicing baseball players.

Baseball itself, actually, is subject to federal regulation. When the Federal Baseball League folded in 1915, most of the teams were bought out by the American and National Leagues. One club, the Baltimore Terrapins, was not, and sued the AL and NL on the grounds that they were creating a monopoly. The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed, effectively immunizing MLB from antitrust lawsuits.

Should Congress guard against a monopoly? Sounds good. Can they crack down on steroid use? Legally, yes.

So, should they devote taxpayer dollars to reforming college football on the grounds that it’s “unfair,” even though it’s 100 percent legal?

I agree that the BCS system is flawed and that a playoff system seems like a step in the right direction.

I also think it’s “unfair” that families are losing their homes because they can’t find employment. It’s “unfair” that banks can defraud the whole country and receive billions in federal money as punishment.

While the BCS system may be unfair, it can’t hold a candle to any of the other issues on the country’s plate right now.

Congress, help us out before helping what we watch on TV.

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