The U.S. Department of Justice has sent a letter to Utah Senator Orrin Hatch saying it’s considering whether to investigate the Bowl Championship Series of college football for possible violations of antitrust law.
“Seemingly discriminatory action” in the method of distributing $140 million in revenue and participation in post-season bowl games raises questions about “whether the BCS potentially runs afoul of the nation’s antitrust laws,” Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich said in a letter to Hatch dated yesterday.
Hatch on Oct. 21 asked President Barack Obama for a probe of the BCS, saying he believed the post-season selections process violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. Obama had said he would favor an eight-game playoff series to determine the competitors for the national championship title. Hatch’s office provided Bloomberg News with a copy of Weich’s letter.
“The BCS is the best way to match teams for bowl games” said Bill Hancock, executive director of the BCS. The conferences are about preserving the regular season and preserving the bowl season.” – Bloomberg
