Read the arguments from Sports Geek and Loyal Homer about whether or not President Barack Obama should invite the Boise State Broncos to the White House Rose Garden.
The college football season is over, and a champion has been crowned. Only one thing remains before the curtain can officially fall on the 2009-2010 football season – the traditional invitation by the President of the United States for the national championship team to visit the Rose Garden. It is a time-honored tradition where the President of the United States takes the time to personally congratulate the top athletes of major sports, and it is a prestigious honor.
At the close of this season, however, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch wrote a letter to President Obama proposing something a little different. Once again in 2010 there were actually two teams who finished the season unbeaten, the recognized BCS National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide and the Boise State Broncos, victors of the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Hatch’s recommendation is for President Obama to invite Boise State to the White House along with Alabama. According to Hatch, both deserve invitations because both finished the season unbeaten.
Obama has already made it known that he is not a fan of the BCS system, going so far as to publicly call for an eight-team playoff system in lieu of the current BCS format.
Senator Hatch, in the spirit of Obama’s comments, has essentially challenged the President to make a very bold statement. By inviting Boise State to the White House, President Obama would essentially be diminishing the legitimacy of the BCS system.
While the White House has released a statement which implies that Boise State will not be invited to the Rose Garden, the idea has not been completely ruled out.
In this time of healthcare reform, economic struggles, and international war, it is decisions like these that matter most. The President must weigh each option very seriously before acting, because the fate of the free world hangs in the balance. Fortunately, TSD is here to act as sage counsel in this period of national crisis!
Should President Obama invite both the Alabama Crimson Tide AND the Boise State Broncos to the White House?
Loyal Homer will argue that the President should indeed invite the Broncos to visit the White House, while Sports Geek will argue that the President should honor the tradition of inviting only the recognized national champions.
Tread carefully, brave debaters. The very course of human events swings with every word you write!
