It is perhaps the most successful franchise in history: McDonald's.
But a lot of people feel like what McDonald's does is not fair. Some 550 "health experts" accused the company of ignoring the impact it has on children, saying "McDonalds ... has refused to address the dangerous toll that fast food and predatory marketing is taking on our kids."
McDonalds says it is proud of the job it is doing and of the food it is offering. And judging by the response - McDonald's shares have risen 120-percent in the last five years, the company has returned billions of dollars to investors, and sales are consistently up - it's hard to argue with the company formula.
But of course some people want the government to get involved, and straighten McDonald's out by forcing the company to be "responsible'' - by their standard - in the way it does business.
If you think that's silly, that McDonald's wouldn't be successful if it didn't give people what they wanted, and it's none of the governments' or these "health experts" business what McDonald's does as long as its investors and supporters are happy, then let me ask you this:
What's the difference between McDonald's and the BCS (Bowl Championship Series)?
The BCS is incredibly successful.
But a lot of people think what the BCS does - control college football's process for deciding the national championship - is unfair. College football "experts" accuse the BCS of having a detrimental impact on college sports, and is trying to get the government involved in forcing the BCS to be "responsible'' - by their standard - in the way it does business.
Officials in the government recently went after the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), the body that governs big-time college sports. Unfortunately, no matter how many times it has been said and written, the government officials can't seem to get it through their heads that the one sport the NCAA doesn't control is Division I College Football's Post-Season and it's national championship.
The BCS is made up of member institutions who have gotten together and agreed on how it will do business. And it does business very well, thank you.
I'm not saying I like the way Division I college football awards its championship. It is ludicrous that college football is the only college sport that doesn't end with some kind of NCAA-run playoff or tournament.
But it's not up to fans or the government to change that.
It's up to the member institutions of the BCS and the NCAA.
If people don't like the way McDonald's does business, they can quit supporting the company.
If fans don't like the way the BCS does college football, they can quit supporting the company.
Trust me, that's the best way - the most fair way - to get the attention of any company or organization that provides the public with a product or service.
I hope the BCS eventually gives us a four-team playoff. I believe it will happen, sooner rather than later.
But not because the government is meddling, or because self-proclaimed college "experts" (of which I used to be one) demand it.
The BCS will change because the market - not "experts'' or the government - demands it.
Just like McDonald's.
Good stuff, as usual!
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