So Handouts Aren't Specific To The BCS?

A little over a week ago I climbed up on my soapbox and chastised all you folks saying that BCS Bowl game corruption meant we should have a playoff. I am glad I did it because I think allowing that selfish leap to be made would not do justice to the actual issue of corruption and the parties actually hurt by the misappropriation of funds. One point that I failed to address was why did folks think that a playoff was somehow immune to any corruption, misuse of funds or handouts?

Wouldn't the same cities be lobbying to host these games? Wouldn't many of the same corporate sponsors be pushing for a reason to send their dollars? If the early round games were played on campus wouldn't everyone be trying to make a push for their school to reap the financial rewards of a home game?

There would be about the same reason for corporate schmoozing, political play and cash changing hands as there is with the BCS. So when this story came across my local news one night I decided to revisit the topic and just put a little "no one is immune to corruption" cap on this topic. Basically the Charlotte Regional Visitor Authority has several employees taking extra bonuses paid out from the CIAA through the CRVA. Not quite on the scale of John Junker out in Arizona but the Charlotte mayor is pissed off just the same and rightfully so.

Now I know we don't talk much basketball, especially division two college basketball but the CIAA Tournament is a post-season affair folks, a "playoff" if you will. We're not talking about BCS teams or even a major tournament at the NCAA level; granted CIAA does make bank for Charlotte, we're talking about a D-2 conference tournament where several members of the group involved with putting on the tournament taking extra cash.

Call me nuts but if we're talking about a playoff using the current big money, big alumni, big profit venture of the current BCS schools then we're talking more cash, more desire to host these games and more folks pushing their cause. The CRVA proves even at a lower level folks are not immune to it, adding more money, bigger names and bigger venues isn't going to make stopping corruption any easier.

Not saying it is an inevitability but the idea that a playoff will be clean as a whistle while the BCS is somehow "more" prone to underhanded dealings. Just some quick food for thought and why that instant leap has and will continue to be absolutely baseless.