Now in Congress: Comprehensive N.B.A. Reform

It’s the most pressing issue facing the nation: the NBA age limit. And it’s being discussed in Congress right now.

Rep. Steve Cohen thinks it’s unfair that players must receive either one year of free education or a big contract overseas for a year before entering the NBA. He called it “age discrimination.”

(I recall Maurice Clarett once thought the NFL’s age limit was age discrimination. Where did that get him?)

NBA President Joel Litvin defended it.

Litvin said the policy is motivated by “business considerations,” not a desire to force players to attend college against their wishes.

Gee, it never came to my mind that the policy might have to do with business considerations. I always thought it was just a desire to force players to attend college. I was also confused about why they didn’t also make a rule forcing players to swim across the English Channel, but now I see that they are only concerned about doing things that are within their business considerations. Who would have thought that a major business would be concerned about business considerations?

Steve Cohen probably thinks he knows more about the NBA’s business considerations than Litvin and David Stern, so maybe he’ll sponsor a bill to take over the NBA. I hope he does, because government has proven in taking over GM and bailing out the banks that they are very knowledgeable at business.

They are also very knowledgeable at sports. Remember how they got Mark McGwire to talk about how he used steroids in the past? Remember when they pressed the NFL union about player benefits? Remember when they tried to make the BCS illegal?

(There’s gotta be something in the Constitution giving Congress the right to make the BCS illegal.)

Look, the NBA age limit may be stupid, but it’s certainly not as stupid as Congress. There’s absolutely nothing giving government any right to make arbitrary decisions about a sports rule they don’t agree with. What’s to stop Robert Byrd from yelling incoherently on the Senate floor about why we need to outlaw the designated hitter?

Seriously, Arlen Specter actually wanted to investigate the Patriots for cheating, just because, “I’m elected by 12 million people, and a lot of them are Steeler fans. … Frankly I’m incensed about what happened with the Steelers.”

All sorts of companies and unions have age limits, and the courts have upheld the NFL’s.

But if Congress wants to bailout Wall Street bankers and Detroit CEO’s, I guess there’s no reason to stop them from bailing out millionaire athletes, as well.

Get all the iPhone Sports Apps by InGameNow: – InGameNow iPhone App – NFL iPhone App – NBA iPhone App – UFC / MMA iPhone App – NCAA Football App – NCAA Basketball App – Soccer iPhone App