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BCSReform.org
QUESTIONS
Question # 7: What will happen if the AAAW lawsuit against the BCS is successful?
Answer # 1: AAAW's Mission Statement is to
• Monitor the administration of amateur athletics and ensure fairness in such administration;
• Promote institutional and individual accountability for administrative decisions that offend notions of fair play;
• Provide resources and financial support to challenge and correct administrative abuses in amateur athletics; and
• Pursue charitable donations to support these activities.The replacement of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) with a fair, open American playoff is the first initiative that AAAW is sponsoring. Other initial AAAW initiatives are
• Assistance in Title IX compliance and application;
• Education and oversight of performance enhancing substance abuse programs; and
• Monitoring and curtailing exploitation of student – athletes.Polls have consistently shown that 80% to 90% of all college football fans prefer a playoff to the BCS. These fans feel frustrated and helpless to change the biased, flawed BCS system! The purpose of this website is to serve as a centralized site where these 200 million fans nationwide (whose favorite teams include all 120 Division 1 – A / Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams) can unite (in spirit and economically in funding an antitrust lawsuit against the BCS) and together force change – the replacement of the BCS with a fair, inclusive American playoff! Fans can also discuss the merits of a playoff versus the BCS on the site's Message Board, learn interesting little – known facts about the BCS in the DO YOU KNOW section, participate in the BCS Watchdog User Poll, put their name on the National Fan Contribution List (NFCL), and review the contributors on the list for each conference / team.
Answer # 2: The BCS has repeatedly shown that it will not change unless forced to. Often, it has tweaked its system to address criticism and controversy, but the basic biased, flawed system has remained. Antitrust legal experts (and political leaders) strongly believe that the BCS violates federal Sherman Antitrust Act regulations! For example, in November 2008, Congressmen Neil Abercrombie, D – Hawaii, Mike Simpson, R – Idaho, and Jim Matheson, D – Utah wrote an open letter to President – elect Barack Obama applauding his support for a major – college playoff on the program 60 Minutes and asking him for help in forcing the NCAA to make such a move. The congressmen call the Bowl Championship Series “an illegal restraint of trade, in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.” They say the “anti – competitive effect is the vast difference in revenue generated in the postseason between the BCS and non – BCS schools.” They call for a “fair, inclusive playoff system.” The BCS, responding to President – elect Obama's support for a playoff, issued an arrogant statement. BCS Coordinator John Swofford stated, “For now, our constituencies – and I know that he understands constituencies – have settled on the current BCS system, which the majority believe is the best system yet to determine a national champion while also maintaining the college football regular season as the best and most meaningful in sports.” We, America's 200 million college football fans wanting a playoff, will force the BCS / NCAA to install a playoff by donating to a Fans' Grassroots Legal Fund that will be used to fund a law suit against the BCS for its Sherman Antitrust Act regulations.
Answer # 3: The efforts on behalf of AAAW by its Officers and Advisors are voluntary; they receive no compensation. They are successful, unique individuals in the fields of business, law, medicine, military service, non – profit / charitable, media, education, and government. They all share a common passion for college football and are dedicated to improving it by replacing the BCS with a fair, inclusive American playoff. Their favorite teams are scattered throughout the country, collectively representing 5 different 1 – A / FBS Conferences - SEC, Big – 12, Big – 10, Pac – 10, and MWC - clearly demonstrating the nationwide appeal of this popular movement. Each fan that makes a tax – deductible donation of $3.00 (or more) to the Fans' Grassroots Legal Fund will join the National Fan Contribution List (NFCL) with their name (only first name and first letter of surname) noted on the list under their favorite college football (e.g., John D / Ohio State). 100% of all donations received will go to the Fans' Grassroots Legal Fund (less credit card / PayPal fees for collecting the donations). Join our grassroots campaign with 200 million other college football fans preferring a playoff! Together, united, we can make a difference and change the system!
Answer # 4: Fans can donate on this site by using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover Card credit cards, PayPal (if you currently have an account or wish to open a PayPal account), or your bank account. Take advantage of the opportunity to concurrently donate for other family and friends when making your donation by specifying their first name, the first letter of their surname, and their favorite college football team in the appropriate box on the donation page. Remember that a $3.00 (or more) tax - deductible donation is required for each donor to place their name on the National Fan Contribution List under their favorite college football team. For example, father John Doe elects to donate $3.00 for himself, his wife, and each of his 3 children, a total donation of $15.00 (or more). He specifies the names of his family and their teams in the appropriate box on the donation page (e.g., Sally D / Nebraska, Jimmy D / Boise State, Susan D / Ball State, and Billy D / Bowling Green). All 5 names of the Doe family will be placed on the National Fan Contribution List. Donors on this site can print out a receipt. Fans can also mail a check payable to the AAAW Fans’ Grassroots Legal Fund to AAAW, Post Office Box 51239, Phoenix, Arizona 85076 - 1239 – be sure to note on the check in the bottom left hand corner your favorite college football team so that your name can be added to the National Fan Contribution List (NFCL) (example, John D / Ohio State). If donating for several people, please be sure to provide their first name, the first letter of their surname, and their favorite college football team together with the check (remember that a $3.00 (or more) tax - deductible donation is required for each name). Be sure to include your return address so that a receipt may be mailed to you. AAAW is a new Arizona nonprofit corporation, Code Section 501(c) (3) status pending. AAAW expects to receive approval of its tax exempt status in the coming months. Generally, contributions made are tax deductible on a retroactive basis to the date of a nonprofit corporation's incorporation (i.e., June 2008 for AAAW). All contributors should consult with their financial advisor regarding the tax deductibility of an AAAW contribution.
Answer # 5: This is a very difficult question to answer easily! Major, national, multiparty antitrust cases by the best antitrust firms can cost up to $10 million over a several year period. Some antitrust laws firms may take this lawsuit on a contingency (or modified contingency) basis. Even working on a contingency / modified contingency (with reduced legal fees) basis, a law firm will expect “hard” costs to be paid as incurred (e.g., expert witness fees, depositions, travel, etc.). Such “hard costs” will be extensive and account for as much as 1/3 of any budget for this type of case. Another important factor is where the case is filed. AAAW may hire a law firm in Washington D.C., but may want the case filed in a different, local venue. That means paying a second law firm. While that increases some fees, that reduces others if work can be shifted to local attorneys at lower rates in the filing venue. The projected litigation budget for this case by an antitrust law firm located in a local venue is projected to be $3 to $5 million over a few years. That budget includes expert fees / costs and consulting fees to allow input from leading sports law and antitrust scholars and attorneys nationwide, with the local law firm doing the major work. It is projected that the costs of such suit to AAAW would be approximately $100,000 per month. Commencing with a legal “war chest” fund of $3 million (i.e., AAAW’s target goal for the Fans’ Grassroots Legal Fund), AAAW could fund the suit for approximately 30 months or 2 and ½ years. Of course, the case might settle before then or continue past that point. The $3 million initial fundraising target is a realistic one, given the uncertainties.
Answer # 6: AAAW's Mission Statement is to
• Monitor the administration of amateur athletics and ensure fairness in such administration;
• Promote institutional and individual accountability for administrative decisions that offend notions of fair play;
• Provide resources and financial support to challenge and correct administrative abuses in amateur athletics; and
• Pursue charitable donations to support these activities.The replacement of the BCS with a fair, open American playoff is the first initiative that AAAW is sponsoring. Other initial AAAW initiatives are
• Assistance in Title IX compliance and application;
• Education and oversight of performance enhancing substance abuse programs; and
• Monitoring and curtailing exploitation of student – athletes.AAAW will use the Fans' Grassroots Legal Fund to sponsor and aggressively promote these (or other similar) initiatives and distribute funds back to the 120 Division 1 – A / FBS schools on a pro rata basis based on the number of donors listing each school as their favorite college football team.
Question # 7: What will happen if the AAAW lawsuit against the BCS is successful?
Answer # 7: If the lawsuit is successful against the BCS, any settlement payments made to AAAW by the BCS, any AAAW attorney fees recovered, and / or damages paid to AAAW by the BCS will be used by AAAW (to sponsor and aggressively promote its other non – profit, charitable initiatives) and as a repayment of funds back to the 120 Division 1 – A / FBS schools on a pro rata basis based on the number of donors listing each school as their favorite college football team.
A critical legal point to remember is that if an antitrust litigation is successful against the BCS, the tax – exempt / deductible status of the BCS may be pierced and the BCS’ revenues may become taxable. Concurrently, all the currently tax – deductible donations made by alumni / boosters to BCS / non - BCS universities may also lose their tax – exempt / deductible status and become taxable to the alumni donors / contributors.
Question # 8: How can I volunteer my time and services to the bcswatchdog.com cause of replacing the BCS with a fair, inclusive American playoff?
Answer # 8: No officers, advisors, or staff members receive compensation - all work is done on a voluntary basis. We welcome and invite others to volunteer their time and services to forward this true grassroots effort. If you have an interest in volunteering, please contact us at bcswatchdog@aaaw.us Thank you!
Website launched December 7, 2008 - let us always remember Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941) and our Veterans / Armed Forces Personnel!
PLEASE SERIOUSLY SUPPORT THIS GRASSROOTS CAUSE BY FORWARDING THE LINK TO THIS SITE, www.bcswatchdog.com, TO 10 OF YOUR FAMILY / FRIENDS / WORK ASSOCIATES / FELLOW WORSHIPPERS / ETC., THAT FAVOR A PLAYOFF AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO VISIT THIS SITE, PUT THEIR NAMES ON THE NATIONAL FAN CONTRIBUTION LIST, AND THEN CONTINUE THE GRASSROOTS CHAIN BY DOING THE SAME! PLEASE ESTABLISH ONLINE, GRASSROOTS SOCIAL GROUPS / COMMUNITIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA SITES LIKE FACEBOOK AND MY SPACE TO PROMOTE BCSWATCHDOG.COM, PROVIDE A LINK TO THE SITE, REQUEST DONATIONS, AND SPREAD THE MESSAGE BY ADDITIONAL CHAINS OF CONTACT! THANK YOU!
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