College Sports, Congress and a Civics Lesson America Desperately Needs
The latest bipartisan effort led by Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell offers more than hope for college athletics. It offers a reminder of how the American system was designed to work.
For all the chaos that has engulfed college sports over the last several years, there may be one unexpected benefit to the madness.
It might finally teach millions of Americans how the United States government is actually supposed to work.
And judging by the reaction to the latest congressional efforts to reform college athletics, that lesson is badly needed.
The Civics Education We Never Got
One of the most troubling things I have noticed over the past decade is how little many Americans seem to understand about the institutions that govern this country.
Congress. The courts. Checks and balances. Federalism. The Constitution.
We reference these concepts constantly, but I am not convinced many people have truly studied them.
Yes, the American system is frustrating.
Yes, it is filled with red tape.
Yes, it often appears maddeningly slow.
And yes, it was designed that way on purpose.
The Founding Fathers intentionally built a government that makes sweeping change difficult. They understood that concentrated power is dangerous. They believed the best ideas emerge only after debate, compromise and resistance.
In other words, if changing the law feels hard, that means the system is functioning exactly as intended.
Why Politicians Rarely Deliver Everything They Promise
Think about campaign season.
Candidates promise to fix everything.
They vow to transform the country.
They offer simple slogans and sweeping solutions.
Then they get elected, and very little happens.
That is not necessarily failure. It is often the design of the republic.
