the BigAmateurism monologues

Heads Up for this Episode: I have an extended introductory montage comprised of clips from two sets of Senate hearings, one in 1997 and the other in 2003. Both hearings focus on anticompetitive behavior by big-time football conferences and schools in the post-season bowl market. While the post-season bowl marketplace provides context, the testimony of in-system stakeholder-beneficiaries arguing to preserve the then-existing status quo offers insight into how the big-time college football interests see their place in college sports writ large. The self-interested opinions and values expressed by NCAA presidents and Power 5 conference commissioners in these hearings are alive and well today. Set forth below in chronological order is a list of montage clips. I provide links to the hearings on my podcast website (bigamateurism.com). Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Monopolies, and Business Rights: “College Football Bowl Alliance” (May 22, 1997) Clip 1: Mike Dewine (R-OH) Clip 2: Herb Kohl (D-WI) Clip 3: Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Cedric Dempsey (NCAA President) Clip 4: Jeff Sessions (R-AL) Clip 5: David Baker (Wyoming AD) Clip 6: Jim Delaney (Big Ten Commissioner) Senate Judiciary Committee: “Competition in College Bowl Games” (October 29, 2003) Clip 7: Myles Brand (NCAA President) Clip 8: Harvey Perlman (Chancellor, University of Nebraska)