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Home > Terence Moore > Archives > 2009 > February > 11 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USTo Obama and the rest: Just say no to sports, OK?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
According to Edolphus Towns, the new chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Congress will not request that Alex Rodriguez come to Capitol Hill to discuss his steroid issues.
Good.
Towns added this: “The American people need leaders who will focus on stemming job losses and getting credit to flow in the marketplace before hearing from yet another person who cheated both himself and the game of baseball.”
Uh, yeah.
Hopefully, this is a sign that politicians finally get it, but probably not. Here’s what they should get: Except in rare cases (and I can’t think of any right now), politicians should rank pontificating on sports no higher than about 111th on their list of 100 priorities for this country.
In other words, when it comes to speaking loudly and boldly about such things as punting, passing, kicking, dribbling, putting, pitching, skating, rowing and driving in public settings, they should do the Nancy Reagan: Just say no.
Are you listening, Mr. Obama? Then again, I’ll give the president a pass for his remarks about baseball’s steroid epidemic during his first prime-time news conference on Monday night. He was asked the question. It also was fresh in the news. So the president had to respond, and his answer was fine. He talked of how the use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes sends a wrong message to kids.
That said, the Commander-in-chief keeps yakking too much about his desire for a playoff system throughout all of college football. First, there shouldn’t be such a playoff system. Second, well, see everything I just wrote.
The president isn’t the only politician going down this silly road. Members of the Utah state legislature just voted to force college football to approve a playoff system for the big boys — not that the Utah state legislature has a say in the matter, or absolutely nothing else to do.
Elsewhere, a Texas state senator and a member of the state’s House pushed for a ban that would keep all of the state’s football teams from participating in any postseason championship game that didn’t involve playoffs. And remember this? Georgia’s House embarrassed itself last year by voting 151-9 in favor of a resolution to support the NCAA creating a playoff system in college football.
So what is Georgia’s unemployment rate again?
Comments
By T-Bone
February 11, 2009 10:54 AM | Link to this
Right, again, TMoore.
By Sporkdevil
February 11, 2009 11:18 AM | Link to this
That’s funny. I was just thinking a similar idea in my head, except instead of “politicians”, it said “Terrance Moore”. Except, I don’t think you should stick to bigger issues.
By Big B CH 99
February 11, 2009 11:26 AM | Link to this
For once, you’re right TM. The Gov’t (all levels) should have more important stuff to do w/ the state of the economy right now.
If the economy gets better in 5-10 yrs, then maybe the Gov’t will have time to get involved in Coll. Football, steroids, etc.
But for right now, focus on the Econ., & other more important issues, sports should be down so fart that its’ off the list of priorities.
By 1980bulldogs
February 11, 2009 11:27 AM | Link to this
as you have suggested politicians sticking to their suppossed profession, you should stick to your field, what ever that is !
By BravesFan79
February 11, 2009 11:37 AM | Link to this
The only “embarrasment” thats gone on in Georgia is you going on the Jim Rome show and sticking up for the BCS!!
Clowns like you are the reason college football is the biggest JOKE of any major sports!!
By Mac
February 11, 2009 11:40 AM | Link to this
First and last, yes there should be a playoff in college football. It’s the rational course. All the other arguments are just B.S. Thanks for your time.
By hop
February 11, 2009 11:40 AM | Link to this
the question needs to be ask who then will keep sports executives from not following the law.
it is clear that neither sport has done a very good good job, and baseball in particular continues to doop the pubic.
bud selig needs to be arrested from hiding all of the players who have been breaking the law with all the steroids mess!
By BravesFan79
February 11, 2009 11:43 AM | Link to this
Pee Wee …..i mean College football….the only sport where ALL the little kids get a trophy at the end of the year and get to jump up and down like monkeys yelling “were #1!” when in reality they just beat some crap 6-5 no name team in some worthless crap bowl.
By RAMBLE ON!!!
February 11, 2009 11:47 AM | Link to this
That’s right Mr. President. We have great sports writers like Terence who won’t take crap from the Cheaters.
Why just the other day, Mr. Moore was hammering our local celebrity David Justice about steroids. The conclusion, if he said he didn’t use it, then we should believe him.
Yup, leave the sports to the Jayson Blair of the AJC.
Why let the fact’s get in the way of a good story?
By Marvis
February 11, 2009 11:48 AM | Link to this
You hit the nail on the head Terrence. Ever since the Senator Mitchell’s “Mitchell Report” I have been saying that politicians should stick issues about politics, not sports. They need to direct all of their attention on the economy, not sports. Nice to see someone else agrees with me.
By Hillbilly Deluxe
February 11, 2009 11:57 AM | Link to this
Politicians just can’t resist something like this. It’s a great opportunity to get face time on TV without any risks. On the bright side, while they are busy talking about this they aren’t putting the screws to us.
By 1980bulldogs
February 11, 2009 12:06 PM | Link to this
as you have written concerning politcians staying to what they suppossedly have knowledge of, we will thank you to do the same, what ever that is. you wrote of the true home run king……nice topic, you missed the true depth of the home run king. instead , you choose to sensationalize, which in a strange way is self promotion. as joe friday said, “just the facts mame”.
By BravesFan79
February 11, 2009 12:22 PM | Link to this
About the David Justice thing…. the person who told on Justice had little reason to lie. Anyone can see that. Im guessing T Moore also believed “the glove dosent fit, so you must acquit” aka… OJ…
So Justice probably DID do roids towards the end of his career with the Yankees under the spotlight and pressure of NY. That in NO WAY takes away from his accomplishment as a Brave or Cleveland Indian.
Cant wait for the 1st game of the season… Go Braves!
By PMC
February 11, 2009 12:23 PM | Link to this
One thing though Congress should do Mr. Moore is strip Baseball and the NCAA of thier anti trust exemptions. If they do anything, they need to do that.
By Ramblin Wrecker
February 11, 2009 12:27 PM | Link to this
Congress should consider the creation of a national sporting commission to regulate professional sports. The main responsibility would be to issue licenses to all professional athletes much in the way that boxing is regulated. Anyone without a license cannot play a professional sport. In order to obtain a license you must pass a drug test and be subject to random testing to keep your license. And to clean up things retroactively, the commission would have discretion to refuse a license to any athlete based on facts that the athlete took banned substances in the past.
By Jim
February 11, 2009 12:41 PM | Link to this
Obama has enough to do with running around and scaring everyone about the looming Catastrophee, so that no one wants to spend….leaving all the spending up to the Goverment as they spend the taxpayer’s money….
Shut up Obama….first about A-Rod and second about the looming Catastrophee…. talk America up, not down…
Remember Jessee Jackson caught on tape saying “…he’s talking ns down….” and then “… I want to cut his b*s off…”????
Well now he’s shifted to the economy and now the “sky is falling”………….
By spotts
February 11, 2009 12:42 PM | Link to this
I’m tired of this “don’t politicians have better things to worry about than sports?” argument. There are five hundred and thirty-five members of Congress. I think it’s okay if a few of them spend some of their days trying to fix what’s wrong with American sports - something that involves the lives of millions of Americans.
I, for one, am sick of steroids tarnishing baseball. And I’m sick of having to wonder who really is the best team in college football at the end of every season. And it doesn’t look like Bud or the NCAA is going to do anything about these things…
By Mike T.
February 11, 2009 1:07 PM | Link to this
First, there shouldn’t be such a playoff system
Why should major college football be the only sport in the world that does not decide its champion on the field in a playoff system?
The BCS is stupid and redundant.
When the winner of the Super Bowl or World Series is crowned no one debates whether they were worthy or not.
However I do agree that politicians have better things to do.
By Dean
February 11, 2009 1:13 PM | Link to this
Politicians have ruined everything else about our country, why not our escapism-routes, too? Folks this is all because of the Nanny-State “state of mind” idiots that started when they quit keeping score at kids sporting events. A trophy for 5th place?! What a tragedy.
By Terence Moore
February 11, 2009 1:25 PM | Link to this
To Hillbilly Deluxe,
I like what you say about that TV thing and politicians. They can do their normal CNN, Fox and MSNBC thing and get all of the ESPN entities, too, when they talk about a deep sports topic.
It’s called trying to get to as many voters as possible, but it might backfire.
By Najeh Davenpoop
February 11, 2009 1:38 PM | Link to this
Sports are not the only thing to which the government should say “no”, but it’s a good start.