College football’s Bowl Championship Series, the system for selecting which two teams will compete in the national championship game, has hired former Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer to improve its tarnished image among football fans.
Opponents of the BCS argue that its system of using polls and computer data to select teams should be replaced by playoffs, and some have even formed a PAC to lobby against the BCS.
“Playoff advocates have had an easy ride where they have never been called on to explain exactly how they would create an alternative. There is tremendous division among playoff advocates,” Fleischer told Politico. “While the BCS has its share of critics, once people see both sides of the issue, they will see why the system has its great support.”
Fleischer’s firm specializes in media training for sports organizations, offering interview prep, crisis management training and other services. He’s worked for Major League Baseball and Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, among others, according to his firm’s web site.
