MITCH BLATT

The bowl game played in Washington, DC and originally known as the Congressional Bowl (in planning stages) is now the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. In its inaugural season, it was the Eagle Bank Bowl. While I wouldn’t argue with the relevance of using either “contractors” or “banks” as reference for “Congress,” I do think the issue at least warrants some discussion in that these tax-funded contractors are advertising with the intent of getting more tax dollars for purposes which they will ultimately benefit from if America goes into another war.

The “battlefield” references take on real meaning. The football warriors will go to battle on the gridiron, the soldiers in uniform will go to battle in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the lobbyists go to battle on Capitol Hill. Northrop Grumman spent $12 million lobbying in 2010. Their PAC spent $1.7 million on 2010 campaign contributions. Bell Helicopter also contributed to candidates, of course, though on a much smaller level.

Proceeds to the Military Bowl will go to support the USO, but the real proceeds are coming from Northrop’s military contracts, not from the advertisement/bowl game profits. ITT Defense and Information Systems is also one of the Military Bowl’s sponsors. Humana Military (healthcare) is a supporting sponsor of the Armed Forced Bowl.

It’s a truism: Contractors like to be on Congress’ good side, and Congress members like to have contractors’ money.

Northrop has to bring their guns out after getting beaten back by Boeing in long-standing battle for a tanker contract this spring. Boeing originally had a deal to provide the tankers as far back as 2003, but the deal was withdrawn after an Air Force procurement officer and the chief financial officer of Boeing were found guilty of corruption in 2004. Northrop (partnered with the European EADS/Airbus) won the contract in 2007, but Boeing protested, and many Congressmen made statements supporting Boeing, being that Boeing is an American company, and Northrop was partnered with EADS. Northrop dropped out in March, 2010, claiming that the odds were intentionally staked against them, but EADS stayed to fight for the contract on their own, and is surprisingly poised to win, according to an accidental leak of Department of Defense documents. Naturally, Boeing is protesting the leak and already has some Congress members on their side.

The bowl games are just the same thing that happens every day inside Congressional halls or on Boeing’s Tanker Lobbying Website or sometimes on TV ads or perhaps even news shows. It’s just on a much larger and much more shameless level when its happening at a bowl game.

Bowl games have become jokes these days. (Let’s just remember the “Come on down to Beef’s!” Beef O’Brady’s Bowl that kicked off the bowl season.) JSB blogger Scott Jacobs interviewed one of the promoters of the Eagle Bank Bowl in 2008 asking who would care about such an irrelevant new bowl game. The founders claimed to care in good PR fashion, but the importance of the game to them is well established now that they aren’t sponsoring it anymore.

Every bowl game is an advertisement, but when contractors get involved, not only is the sponsorship supported by taxpayer dollars and encouraging the growth of such funding, but, in the case of defense contractors, you also have the potential for American and civilian lives to be at stake in what President Eisenhower called “the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.” Is this an example of what Eisenhower warned of in his farewell address? I’m not providing an answer–I’m just asking questions–but clearly its something we need to watch out for.

SCOTT JACOBS

The EagleBank Bowl starts it.  The BCS Championship Game finishes it.  And somewhere in between 32 other bowl games are played.  So many of these bowl games are absurd, and un-necessary, and the people that found these games are even at a loss for how to explain why the subpar teams they invite to play in their games are even worthy of a post-season game.

But hey, everyone wins.  Even if they lose.  Because with the bowl game system, comes a plethora of random gifts.  Most of the time these gifts say things like, “Thanks for flying half way across the country, here’s a Sony noise cancelling headphone.” Other times they may say, “Thanks for coming out to Arizona, it’s freaking hot outside here, so here’s a hat.”  And even though all bowl games are not created equal, they do have to play by one rule, when it comes to rewarding the mediocre/semi-decent/really good teams that they host. They can only give each school up to $500 worth of gifts to 125 participants per school.

We should let you know also that a lot of gifts given in numerous bowl games look familiar.  Why?  Because Davene Inc., a promotions company, has brokered deals for 14 out of the 34 bowl games.

The entire list and breakdown of gifts for each game is here.

SCOTT JACOBS

It sure must be nice to be Notre Dame.

Bowl eligible at a far from mind-blowing 6-4, the Irish are in prime position to nab themselves not only a decent bowl, but a very, very respectable bowl.

Set aside the fact that their best win came against Navy, and that they’ve lost nine bowl games in a row, and I still can’t stay calm about the current bowl system.  It’s a popularity system where the best team becomes victim at times to its lack of fanfare.  Notre Dame comes with national notoriety.  A much better team like Oklahoma State comes with well, a well known booster.  And the beat goes on.  Notre Dame is expected to beat 2-8 Syracuse this weekend, before getting beatdown against USC, which would leave it 7-5.  Yet, bowl games are lining up as if the Irish were undefeated.

It’s part of the territory that comes with the popularity system, the good guy gets pushed out of the way for the has-been with the strong following and even more well known history.  Notre Dame lives off of its glorious past, and doesn’t ever get penalized for it’s very mediocre recent present.  Bowl committees flock to them as soon as it becomes apparent that they will get into a bowl.  So a team that under a fair system would land in one of the very early bowls, is instead a hot candidate for a mid-day New Year’s Day bowl.

The Sugar Bowl or one of the other BCS other bowls would probably bite too, but that would come with scrutiny beyond belief.  So instead, they leave the Irish to the tier two bowls.  Bowls like the Gator Bowl.  Bowls like the Cotton Bowl.  Well respected bowls, that see the crowd the Irish will bring as bowl execs salivate at the possibilities.

Forget the game.  The game is just a setup.  Because if it was just about the game, Notre Dame wouldn’t have a prayer.  But this isn’t about fair, or about who belongs.  This is about reputations, and a big catholic school that plays the field and not the other way around.  It already aggravates me that Notre Dame is too cool to be affliated with a BCS conference, but each year, when I see the uninmposing Irish choke in another big bowl game that they have no right to be in, it just annoys the crap out of me.

Notre Dame is not even a top 25 team, probably not top 35, but they have a brand.  They have a national broadcasting TV partner in NBC, and they have Lou Holtz, who nauseausly pushes for their rise to prominence even when its clear that there is none on the horizon.

I’ve never liked the Irish, because I think of them as the spoiled, undeserving rich kid that gets whatever he wants.  The Irish are like the high schooler who pulls in straight C’s and gets rewarded with a Lamborghini.  They get rewarded for mediocrity.  They’re the popular kid.  They don’t play by the same rules as everybody else.

Instead, when the bowl pecking order comes about there they are.  Navy is much higher ranked in SI.com’s power rankings, but they’re looking at a glorious date at the brand new Congressional Bowl the first day of bowl season.  The Irish are looking at a spot reserved for someone who should be far better then they.  But it doesn’t work like that.

The Irish have played the system, and they’ve got bowl organizers by a string on their finger.  They’re the puppet master and the bowls are the puppets.  I think I’ve made my point clear.  When Notre Dame wins seven games, it’s like nine.  When Oklahoma State wins nine game, it’s like they’ve won seven.

So when the inevitable happens, and the Irish get invited to what is considered a respectable bowl game, I’ll be the one sitting there, not the least bit surprised, but not happy either.  It’s a popularity game and Notre Dame is number one where it really shouldn’t count.