A social media publish is one factor. The launching of an investigation is one other. Florida A&M College acquired the previous from Florida politicians after profitable a school soccer nationwide championship. Florida State College received the latter.
If you happen to listen, they’ll all the time present you who they like.
Misplaced within the midst — to some — of the outcry across the College Football Playoff Committee’s decision to leave an undefeated conference champion out of the “Final 4” for the primary time in historical past, is that the state of Florida captured a unique school soccer nationwide championship over the weekend. FAMU, a Traditionally Black Faculty and College, out of the Southwestern Athletic Convention (SWAC) defeated Howard College, the HBCU alma mater of Vice President Kamala Harris (who was on the sport), out of the Mid-Jap Athletic Convention (MEAC), 30-26, on the 2023 Cricket Celebration Bowl to be named HBCU College Football National Champions.
However, this column isn’t about how FAMU’s win got here exactly 45 years to the day after they made history as the first and only HBCU to win an NCAA Division I-AA nationwide championship on Dec. 16, 1978. This column is about how the powers that be within the state aren’t celebrating a historic win with the identical vitality that they complained a couple of historic snub.
“What we learned today is that you can go undefeated and win your conference championship game, but the College Football Playoff committee will ignore these results. Congratulations to @FSUFootball on an outstanding season and winning the ACC championship!,” wrote Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis in a 38-word post to social media.
“Congratulations, @FAMU_FB on making your first Celebration Bowl appearance a memorable one and coming home as the 2023 HBCU National Champions! You’ve had an outstanding season and made the state of Florida proud,” he wrote to the Rattlers.
The publish devoted to FAMU had six fewer phrases. It could be petty, however semantics and particulars matter. Apart from, the governor’s reward on social media was par for the course. Nonetheless, the actions of different Florida lawmakers are the place the eye must be.
“I know injustice when I see it,” stated Florida Legal professional Normal Ashley Moody in a video she posted to social media.
Take into consideration that for a second. One of the highly effective folks within the state who allowed George Zimmerman to be a free man considers what occurred to FSU an “injustice.”
Wow.
Moody has launched an investigation into the CFP’s determination, as Florida’s antitrust division is demanding “more information about the nature of possible contracts, conspiracies in restraint of trade or monopolization of trade and commerce relating to anticompetitive effects of the College Football Playoff.”
Florida Senator Rick Scott got in on the action, too. Main the CFP to make a press release, explaining why FSU wasn’t ok.
“Everyone on the Committee understands the disappointment felt by Florida State fans,” wrote CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock. “We recognize that no matter what decision was made, fans somewhere would be disappointed. The Committee members are confident they made the right decisions in ranking the best four teams in the country based on the protocol and we all look forward to great playoff games.”
Regardless of what it seems like that is in all probability about, the one factor that Florida lawmakers aren’t discussing is the financial ramifications of the CFP’s determination, which is extra than simply one thing politicians can use to curry favor with voters.
In accordance with the CFP’s website:
“A conference will receive $6 million for each team that is selected for a Playoff Semifinal. There will be no additional distribution to conferences whose teams qualify for the national championship game. A conference will receive $4 million for each team that plays in a non-playoff bowl under the arrangement.
Each conference whose team participates in a Playoff Semifinal, Cotton, Fiesta, or Peach bowls, or in the national championship game, will receive $2.85 million to cover expenses for each game.”
FSU and the ACC misplaced out on hundreds of thousands, their anger is past legitimate and all the time has been. The issue is that one thing good occurred for the state of Florida when the Black faculty that’s down the road from Florida State gained a nationwide title, bringing pleasure and pleasure to a soccer state and town of Tallahassee. Florida lawmakers must cease being obsessive about what FSU gained’t be taking part in for and pay extra consideration to what FAMU has already achieved.
