Next Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights will hold a hearing “looking into antitrust issues surrounding college football’s Bowl Championship Series,” the AP reports.
It will be the second hearing on the BCS held on Capitol Hill this year, following a contentious one in the House in May.
The Senate Judiciary Committee Web site says the hearing will be next Tuesday in the committee’s subcommittee on antitrust, competition policy and consumer rights.
Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, the subcommittee’s top Republican, had sought the hearing. His office did not immediately return telephone and e-mail messages.
Football fans in Hatch’s state were furious that Utah was bypassed for the national championship despite going undefeated in the regular season.
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) chairs the subcommittee.
Update: Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) wants changes in the BCS system.
“I don’t think a more accurate description of what the BCS does exists,” Hatch wrote. He noted that six conferences get automatic bids to participate in series, while others do not. The system, he argued, “intentionally and explicitly favors certain participants.”
Citing the money generated by the BCS, Hatch wrote, “If the government were to ignore a similar business arrangement of this magnitude in any other industry, it would be condemned for shirking its responsibility.”
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“One thing is clear: No changes will take place if Congress does nothing,” Hatch wrote.
Congress in Your Pocket
