Published December 28, 2010 - 7:18am
NEW: Discuss this topic in the Google+ community for SEC fans.
The following was posted on Mark Cuban’s blog:
Again, I want to be very clear to everyone. This is going to be a long, long and difficult and expensive process. There is a lot of power on the side of the incumbents. Which of course , as anyone who really knows me will tell you, is exactly the type of challenge I like to undertake. I may not win all of them, but there is quite a bit of satisfaction in taking on Goliath. This undertaking is no different. Win or lose (and i hate to lose) , it will be worth the journey.
I wanted to post the first update here on my blog, but going forward I will post them on facebook on this page. Why ? Because when people “like” the page I can communicate with them in the future. I don’t have a direct means of communicating from the blog. I can only “broadcast” my thoughts. The Facebook page allows me to post, respond to user posts and allows others to post their thoughts as well. Plus, I can pop the HDNet name and logo in there and get a shameless plug in for our network.
So on the the first order of business – our first roadblock.
Believe it or not among the hundreds of emails I got from everyone from those of you with playoff plans, to lobbying firms to Athletic Directors of major schools to those looking to volunteer to help to alums volunteering with withhold or donate more to help the cause, I also received this :
“Dear Mr. Cuban:
My advise is, don’t waste your money. There are three perfected alternatives to the BCS. I own one, a guy with CBS owns another
and a guy in Arizona owns the third. By that, I don’t mean the screw-ball ideas you see on the internet, but actual branded
properties.
I am represented by a major law firm in Washington D.C., as are other stake holders. The problems are insurmountable
and too many to delineate here
****Im leaving out some of his comments on why he thinks the playoffs wont work in order to get to the important stuff ******
*** Here is the “meat” of his email:
You should also consider that the playoffs are already owned by someone, as in, the patent for resolving the FBS championship by way of a playoff was issued long ago. It’s called a method patent, so be careful not to infringe it.
Anyway, if you want to know who owns assets in this field, let me know. I can put you in touch with one of my attorneys who can let you know what you’re in for. It’s much more complex that it’s commonly understood to be.
>>>> Regards,
There you have it. In this great country of ours some one thinks they can patent a solution to this problem. Mind you, they aren’t saying they can do anything about it. They are not saying they even tried. Nor are they saying they are going to try to solve this problem and invest time and money. They are merely saying that they got the patent office to approve their idea and if anyone wants to try to solve this problem they have to go through them and their high powered patent attorneys.
The President of the United States wants a playoff system, and so does almost every college football fan, but forgettaboutit because there is a method patent on it.
This obviously is a symptom of a much bigger problem in this country where people who have no intention of solving a problem or building a business but want to get paid by those that do, leverage the courts as patent trolls in order to extort money. If you talk to anyone in the technology industry they will tell you that Patent Trolls are creating far more cost and uncertainty in doing business than any tax code could ever.
Maybe this effort to create a playoff system for college football can also solve a huge problem that is hampering the economy and adding to the unemployment rate as companies keep money in the bank to fight patent trolls and pay ever increasing insurance rates instead of hiring people. Am I sure this is happening ? Absolutely because we are facing the same issue in two of my companies. We continuously get sued by various patent trolls and spend money on lawyers and insurance rather than hiring new people or giving raises. And I hate it.
Sorry to get off on a tangent and back on my soapbox, but getting this email really hit a nerve and it gives me even more motivation !
Keep the emails coming. If you know of any Conference Commissioners or personnel, college football coaches, any university Athletic Directors, Asst ADs, University or College Presidents, major donors or any other stakeholders, encourage them to email me as well. I am in the information gathering and learning stage and want as much information and feedback as I can get. The challenge is not what the playoffs might look like. The challenge is what are the parameters or incentives that would make each conference and/or school gladly become part of a playoff system.
The best one I have heard so far ? A Student Experience Fund for the Southeastern Conference. Not a scholarship fund, but a Student Experience Fund. Someone suggested that I put up $50mm dollars to be made available to current SEC students in the amount of up to $3,000 for them to use on unique projects sponsored and endorsed by a professor. It can be anything that the professor feels enhances the overall education of the student. It is a one time grant. A student can not receive more than one. It can not be used for tuition, room or board. How many such grants are given out in any given year would be left to the discretion of the Schools in the Conference. As would the allocation among schools. I’m fine with the Commissioner of the SEC running the fund.
Why the SEC ? For obvious reasons. But it was also suggested that this offer also be made to a second conference on a first come first serve basis.
What does everyone think about the idea ? What ideas do you have that create a unique and compelling educational opportunity for students that can be tied to a playoff system ?
My Reactions
- Mark Cuban – whether you love him or hate him – is a very interesting figure. He has the money, and he is a wild card in any industry he penetrates. The question of course is whether or not he will penetrate the college football world. The MLB prevented Cuban from entering by blocking an attempt at buying the Chicago Cubs. Meanwhile MLB’s ratings continue to decline.
- Why post his thoughts on the college football playoff? Mainly because it is interesting. Do I think he’ll have an impact? Not necessarily. But he will attack this at a different angle than taken before. He’ll use technology, he’ll be creative, innovative and more. Hopefully he’ll spend a ton of money on it too.
- I’m not for a playoff, but I am for improvement. If Cuban is another catalyst in improving the college football postseason, bring it on.
- I love this quote: “Maybe this effort to create a playoff system for college football can also solve a huge problem that is hampering the economy and adding to the unemployment rate as companies keep money in the bank to fight patent trolls and pay ever increasing insurance rates instead of hiring people. Am I sure this is happening ? Absolutely because we are facing the same issue in two of my companies. We continuously get sued by various patent trolls and spend money on lawyers and insurance rather than hiring new people or giving raises. And I hate it.” — Is a college football playoff the key to getting out of the recession? Clearly!
- Lastly, how about the love Cuban gives to the SEC? “Why the SEC ? For obvious reasons. But it was also suggested that this offer also be made to a second conference on a first come first serve basis.”
What do you think?
this article is so stupid on so many levels it’s hard to know where to begin, except to say the only people who are constantly banging this retarded playoff drum are the people most in line to profit from it: fat cat sports owners (like Cuban), fat cat sports media (like ESPN)…and the sheeple too stupid to figure out that they’re being played like a violin. REAL fans want nothing to do with this crap. It ain’t broke, it don’t need fixin’, LEAVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL ALONE!
I would say that UCONN being in a BCS game is enough to make something change, JMO.
I agree 100%
and a “playoff” is supposed to make it better? the only thing a playoff does in ANY sport with a “selection committee” (i.e. a non-objective system of determining who plays) is give an UNDESERVING team a better shot at winning the so-called “championship”. How many times in March Madness have all the #1 seeds been eliminated while some high-seed ends up in the Final Four? There is no problem in college football that a playoff would not make WORSE.
and another thing: “Patent Trolls”?? Really? That is not an intellectual property issue, it is a TORT REFORM issue. Establish a “loser pays” civil lawsuit system and the problem disappears…but you can bet Mr. Liberal Democrat Cuban wants nothing to do with that…
I think a playoff system would be great…I think the main thing hindering the idea of a college football system is the amount of money that is invested in the Bowl games. If there was a way to set up each individual bowl game a tier in the College Playoff system not only would it generate alot more viewers it would generate alot more revenue for the system to work.
A playoff system is a good idea and a report has been published that has said the only BCS conference that wants one is the SEC. This makes no sense since they have been dominating the BCS. My proposal is to take the conference champion of each conference and make that a playoff but still have bowl games so that schools who aren’t conference champions can still have post season games and make some money
that wouldn’t help a thing since we would still end up with teams like UCONN getting too much credit instead of the best teams.
I think a playoff would be great but the millions of dollars the colleges are getting comes from TV and Bowls and they want the big time schools who will bring the big crowds and TV ratings.Whether it is fair are not its all about money.