Column by Ken Cohen
October 4, 2013 — It's one thing for natural disasters, weather and tragedies to force postponement/cancellation of college sporting events. And that has happened on several occasions over the years. But when dysfunctional politicians start shutting down games, as they are now, that's simply despicable.
I can guarantee you no one in Washington took the time or had the good judgment to foresee all the potential ramifications of their decisions. Sure they understood that certain arms of government would cease operating. But it's hard to believe that they knew 18 and 19-year-old student athletes from our military academies would be among the victims as well. Yes, all of you bozos in Washington – budgets for some Army, Navy and Air Force sports teams come from the federal government. And now thousands of kids from tennis and soccer teams to golf, cross country and football can't play because you think you are conducting the people's business.
What a shame! As Jack Nicholson said in a Few Good Men, "all you did was weaken a country today." Not for all the obvious reasons like lost jobs and potential national security issues, but because you effectively broke the spirit and heart of innocent college students – students who will one day be defending our country. I wouldn't blame any one of them if they questioned their commitment to a government that threw them under the bus.
And when there are no games. There are no fans. When there are no fans, there is no traffic in the cities and towns where the games are being played. That means businesses take a hit, employees make less and the overall economy is affected. Did the bozos think of that?

Even for an ardent golf fan like me, I barely realized The President's Cup was being played this week. It's really an unnecessary event, a made-for-television money grab for the PGA Tour that has never captivated the public. It's ironic that for years the Tour has pitched the Fed Ex playoffs as the true ending to its season – something it never had as events were played through October. Not only does the Tour continue to play the President's Cup after the playoffs, but it will start it's 2014 season in October as well.
I'm sure I will watch some of the President's Cup because I like to watch golf, especially the best players. And many of them will be at Muirfield Village this weekend. But they were also there in May for the Memorial Tournament and I can't say there is any reason to be more excited now just because it's a team event.

I don't get the one-game wild card in major league baseball. At the very least, why not a best two-of-three? This is not the NFL where teams play 16 games and one game is six percent of the season. One game in major league baseball doesn't even amount to one percent of season. The playoffs are supposed to magnify the regular season, not mimic or reduce it. One game after playing 162 seems insignificant and insufficient to me.

I read where Greg Popovich said not a day went by this summer when he didn't think about Game Six of the 2013 NBA Finals against Miami. The Spurs were seconds away from winning the championship, but some very questionable coaching decisions by Pops created the opportunities for the Heat to rise from the dead. I'm glad he's thinking about the game now – he certainly didn't have his head into it in June.

Ken Cohen brings 30 years of publishing experience, many covering sports and working for sports companies, His column, “Further Review” appears every Friday.