Is the NFL rigged?

[Green Tiger]

I'll never forget the 2004 Major League Baseball playoffs. The Boston Red Sox had gone a century without winning a World Series and they were down three games to their hated rivals, the Yankees, in the American Championship series. They came back to tie it, 3-3. In game seven, with bases loaded, Johnny Damon hit a grand slam home run to win the game. AMAZING!!! I couldn't believe it.

 

And then . . . I wondered. Was it a little too good to be true? Surely the game couldn't be rigged, could it?

 

I dismissed the idea, deciding there was no way the players would agree to something like that. No way they could keep it quiet, even if they did.

 

This year I've been watching the NFL with great interest. There's a lot of good story lines to follow and the final four teams are just too perfect. Patriots vs. Broncos and 49ers vs. Seahawks.

 

Two veteran quarterbacks facing off for the 16th time in their careers. Each looking to get another super bowl ring before age starts to take its toll.

 

Two young and promising quarterbacks who look poised to become superstars, eager for the chance to lead their team to its first Super Bowl victory in this century.

 

And I can't help but wonder, is it almost too perfect? Granted, the best teams should be playing in the championship games. That's the way it's supposed to be. But just out of curiosity, I googled "the NFL is rigged" and found no shortage of people arguing just that.

 

Most of it was speculation about how the rigging could be accomplished through the refs, followed by examples of games where the refs seemed to favor one team or the other.

 

Then I saw something about how certain teams could get shunned by the league for refusing to comply with the league's wishes. One example of that caught my eye.

 

Ralph Hutchinson wrote a short piece for Uncoveror (http://www.uncoveror.com/footballrigged.htm) in which he mentioned that the San Francisco 49ers were a favored team until they let their stadium fall out of favor. Lots of people complained that Candlestick needed to be abandoned and a newer, more modern stadium built to replace it. The 9ers were slow to action.

 

I'm a huge 49ers fan, and I noticed a strange turn of events in the last several years. The 9ers have been looking for a place to build a new stadium since the early 2000's, but had to give up on finding a place in or around the city. They ended up going with a place in Santa Clara, 40 miles away. When Jim Harbaugh took over in 2011, he turned the team around just in time for the groundbreaking at the new stadium. Now that construction is underway and they'll be playing there next year, San Fran looks stronger than they have in 15 years.

 

Coincidence, or design?

 

I'm not even remotely convinced that the games are actually rigged, but I'm also kind of biased. I love professional and college football and would be really hurt if I discovered that the fix was in.

 

I'm wondering if other people had heard rumors about game rigging and other intrigue in the National Football League. As much money as they pull in every year, they're one of the more powerfully influential companies in the country. I'm sure all kinds of shady deals have gone down over the years.

 

A possible obfuscation of evidence that players were being seriously brain-damaged from repeated concussions being one recent example.

Edited January 13, 2014 by Green Tiger

[silent thunder]

If it involves money, people are willing to do just about anything and I'm rarely surprised any more the lengths they'll go to...

[ralis]

I'll never forget the 2004 Major League Baseball playoffs. The Boston Red Soxs had gone a century without winning a World Series and they were down three games to their hated rivals, the Yankees, in the American Championship series. They came back to tie it, 3-3. In game seven, with bases loaded, Johnny Damon hit a grand slam home run to win the game. AMAZING!!! I couldn't believe it.

 

And then . . . I wondered. Was it a little too good to be true? Surely the game couldn't be rigged, could it?

 

I dismissed the idea, deciding there was no way the players would agree to something like that. No way they could keep it quiet, even if they did.

 

This year I've been watching the NFL with great interest. There's a lot of good story lines to follow and the final four teams are just too perfect. Patriots vs. Broncos and 49ers vs. Seahawks.

 

Two veteran quarterbacks facing off for the 16th time in their careers. Each looking to get another super bowl ring before age starts to take its toll.

 

Two young and promising quarterbacks who look poised to become superstars, eager for the chance to lead their team to its first Super Bowl victory in this century.

 

And I can't help but wonder, is it almost too perfect? Granted, the best teams should be playing in the championship games. That's the way it's supposed to be. But just out of curiosity, I googled "the NFL is rigged" and found no shortage of people arguing just that.

 

Most of it was speculation about how the rigging could be accomplished through the refs, followed by examples of games where the refs seemed to favor one team or the other.

 

Then I saw something about how certain teams could get shunned by the league for refusing to comply with the league's wishes. One example of that caught my eye.

 

Ralph Hutchinson wrote a short piece for Uncoveror (http://www.uncoveror.com/footballrigged.htm) in which he mentioned that the San Francisco 49ers were a favored team until they let their stadium fall out of favor. Lots of people complained that Candlestick needed to be abandoned and a newer, more modern stadium built to replace it. The 9ers were slow to action.

 

I'm a huge 49ers fan, and I noticed a strange turn of events in the last several years. The 9ers have been looking for a place to build a new stadium since the early 2000's, but had to give up on finding a place in or around the city. They ended up going with a place in Santa Clara, 40 miles away. When Jim Harbaugh took over in 2011, he turned the team around just in time for the groundbreaking at the new stadium. Now that construction is underway and they'll be playing there next year, San Fran looks stronger than they have in 15 years.

 

Coincidence, or design?

 

I'm not even remotely convinced that the games are actually rigged, but I'm also kind of biased. I love professional and college football and would be really hurt if I discovered that the fix was in.

 

I'm wondering if other people had heard rumors about game rigging and other intrigue in the National Football League. As much money as they pull in every year, they're one of the more powerfully influential companies in the country. I'm sure all kinds of shady deals have gone down over the years.

 

A possible obfuscation of evidence that players were being seriously brain-damaged from repeated concussions being one recent example.

 

At times it seems that the refs make calls that favor the outcome of a given team but if there is corruption among the refs, it has not been exposed. What amazes me are the Las Vegas odds at the various books and how accurate most lines are.

[zerostao]

"What amazes me are the Las Vegas odds at the various books and how accurate most lines are. "

(i used to work for a bookie in alabama, it became legal enterprise there)

what amazed me was everytime the betting was extremely heavily one sided nationwide, guess what, the lighter side betters were the ones who cashed in. go figure.

of course at the horse track, it was not too much of a surprise to be given a 2 week in advance notice(if one knew the right person) of a long shot horse to be sure and bet. this is much documented by fbi and traced to winter hill gang for example. but for major sports like NFL, MLB, NBA, well there was the one NBA ref that was convicted of making calls to determine final outcomes pointwise.so we are to believe that it was an isolated case,,, in the NCAA where athletes are not paid for their performances , we often hear of athletes connected to bookies etc. but for NBA, MLB, and especially the NFL where more money is wagered than all other gambling combined, well, go figure. i truly believe that Ali beat Foreman but when it first went down (foreman) there were calls for an investigation.

and sometimes (like often) nascar results seem to be the stuff of fairytales.

[Aetherous]

I don't watch football that much, but being in Wisconsin I check out the GB Packers. It was my opinion during the Packers vs 49ers game, that Aaron Rodgers wasn't even trying. I told my buddy that I thought he was throwing the game on purpose, and he seemed to agree.

However, after that I didn't hear anyone criticize his performance...so I don't know, maybe I just don't watch enough football to really know what I'm saying.

 

edit:

 

Here are a couple figures from the game that I just looked up - "Rodgers had just 177 passing yards—fewest in his postseason career. He was also sacked a season-high four times." (from this site)

 

Rodgers himself said he was disappointed in his performance in that particular game.

 

But good news: the RHCP are playing for part of the Superbowl half time!

Edited January 13, 2014 by Aetherous

[Brian]

A bit of Superbowl trivia:

 

The last five opening coin tosses have been heads. The odds of that run is 32:1. The odds of a run of six-in-a-row is 64:1 but the odds of the next coin toss being heads is 1:1.

 

Just food for thought...

[ralis]

"What amazes me are the Las Vegas odds at the various books and how accurate most lines are. "

(i used to work for a bookie in alabama, it became legal enterprise there)

what amazed me was everytime the betting was extremely heavily one sided nationwide, guess what, the lighter side betters were the ones who cashed in. go figure.

of course at the horse track, it was not too much of a surprise to be given a 2 week in advance notice(if one knew the right person) of a long shot horse to be sure and bet. this is much documented by fbi and traced to winter hill gang for example. but for major sports like NFL, MLB, NBA, well there was the one NBA ref that was convicted of making calls to determine final outcomes pointwise.so we are to believe that it was an isolated case,,, in the NCAA where athletes are not paid for their performances , we often hear of athletes connected to bookies etc. but for NBA, MLB, and especially the NFL where more money is wagered than all other gambling combined, well, go figure. i truly believe that Ali beat Foreman but when it first went down (foreman) there were calls for an investigation.

and sometimes (like often) nascar results seem to be the stuff of fairytales.

 

Book making is legal in Alabama? http://www.usaonlinesportsbooks.com/states/alabama.html

[zerostao]

not sure about the law in Alabama presently.

when I was there and working for a guy who also owned a few nightclubs, the state legislature did pass a law saying that as long as the 'bookies' take was under 2 grand a day it was legal.

I did a quick check and found this;

http://www.gambling-law-us.com/State-Law-Summary/

so perhaps the law was rescinded? but for aggravated gambling, which I think(I am no lawyer or law enforcement)bookie activity would fall under is considered a misdemeanor and not a felony. it may fall under the social gambling, which is allowed ? so in some circles, a misdemeanor penalty is considered to be a green light. becoz, there will be not much of a call to pursue prosecution. betting on football games in Alabama, yeah no law enforcement is gonna kick a door in for that. like running a poker house in Kentucky (less the gaming machines of course) no one is going to raise a fuss. I think someone told me it could be passed off as a non-profit here even lol

"Simple vs. Aggravated: The distinction between "simple" and "aggravated" gambling is also one that varies from state to state. That terminology may not be used in a state's criminal law at all. It may be phrased as mere "gambling" versus "professional gambling." It may come into play only based on second or third violations of a given criminal prohibition."

[ralis]

not sure about the law in Alabama presently.

when I was there and working for a guy who also owned a few nightclubs, the state legislature did pass a law saying that as long as the 'bookies' take was under 2 grand a day it was legal.

I did a quick check and found this;

http://www.gambling-law-us.com/State-Law-Summary/

so perhaps the law was rescinded? but for aggravated gambling, which I think(I am no lawyer or law enforcement)bookie activity would fall under is considered a misdemeanor and not a felony. it may fall under the social gambling, which is allowed ? so in some circles, a misdemeanor penalty is considered to be a green light. becoz, there will be not much of a call to pursue prosecution. betting on football games in Alabama, yeah no law enforcement is gonna kick a door in for that. like running a poker house in Kentucky (less the gaming machines of course) no one is going to raise a fuss. I think someone told me it could be passed off as a non-profit here even lol

"Simple vs. Aggravated: The distinction between "simple" and "aggravated" gambling is also one that varies from state to state. That terminology may not be used in a state's criminal law at all. It may be phrased as mere "gambling" versus "professional gambling." It may come into play only based on second or third violations of a given criminal prohibition."

 

Poker rooms in Kentucky? We have 6 poker rooms within 1.5 hrs. drive from here. The best is Sandia Casino on the N. side of Albuquerque. The room has 15 tables featuring Limit, NL Hold'em and Omaha. Most of the players are absolutely horrible and play far too loose.

 

Online poker should be made legal!

Edited January 13, 2014 by ralis

[zerostao]

i like loose players hehehe, the game i ran, 7 card stud, no ante, i would sit (as house and player) and wait til i got rolled up trip 9's or else i folded. worked out well enuff i fed the entire street the game was on for the year. whether they played or not.

there are poker rooms in Kentucky that hold the hold em tourneys and afterwards there are the cash games. whether or not they are legal? idk but they exist, you might have to sign your name once to get a membership card or sth.........

[ralis]

i like loose players hehehe, the game i ran, 7 card stud, no ante, i would sit (as house and player) and wait til i got rolled up trip 9's or else i folded. worked out well enuff i fed the entire street the game was on for the year. whether they played or not.

there are poker rooms in Kentucky that hold the hold em tourneys and afterwards there are the cash games. whether or not they are legal? idk but they exist, you might have to sign your name once to get a membership card or sth.........

 

 

The tourists/fish that visit Vegas are the best to play against. Most have rudimentary knowledge of the game and see themselves as better than they are. Most will bite with the second best hand on the river. They love to overvalue the weak aces. Especially, A8o. I strictly play NL Hold'em.

Edited January 13, 2014 by ralis

[zerostao]

the 7 card is an abstract game at times, but poker is poker (kinda lol) there is always the same 52 cards in the deck and best 5 wins at least. 5 card stud was my staple , and I feel that the hold'em combines the best of both of those. the second best hand is the worse possible hand always. I throw away winners before I take the chance on being second best.(usually) but doesn't it seem that picking one of 2 football teams is easier than poker or picking one out of ten horses? altho much variety in the way one can bet horses...I would never ever rarely ever(only in the case I need tuition $$) use the I Ching to try and predict my gambling outcomes. no limit can be crazy abstract, I like limits it plays to my math, or even pot limit,,NL I would be in way over my head I reckon,,,

[Nungali]

Do people bet on it ? If so .... its rigged.

[joeblast]

I enjoy the game. Most "normal fans" think I am strange because I "don't have a team"...I just like competition - good competition. The way the NFL is structured with drafts & limits keeps the playing field very level, and nobody's ever a shoe-in. At least as far as anyone knows. Although, I have heard of teams taking it easy, say when you have an excellent team with a not perfect record coming in to play a crappy team, but the crappy team pulls it off, almost just to screw with the bets. Not something like Miami winding up beating up on the patriots or something, more along the lines of the browns beating anyone good a couple years ago.

 

Refs...sometimes "the home refs" seem biased, Carolina's definitely made some questionable calls yesterday, or that turnover-gift to san diego yesterday that was totally an incompletion, but few people gave them a chance anyway, so what the hell, here you go.

 

Football sure aint hockey, though I dont know of any other sport with such sustained heavy action. (for some reason, basketball is like watching paint dry to me...just about the only sport like that...perhaps its the prima donna density...)

[Green Tiger]

I throw away winners before I take the chance on being second best.(usually) but doesn't it seem that picking one of 2 football teams is easier than poker or picking one out of ten horses? altho much variety in the way one can bet horses...I would never ever rarely ever(only in the case I need tuition $$) use the I Ching to try and predict my gambling outcomes. no limit can be crazy abstract, I like limits it plays to my math, or even pot limit,,NL I would be in way over my head I reckon,,,

 

How would you use the I-ching to gamble? Specifically, to pick horses?

 

I don't bet on football games very often, but I love to play the ponies. I never win much, but I don't bet a lot of money either. I once won $600 on a $6 trifecta. That was a good day.

[zerostao]

"How would you use the I-ching to gamble?" i cannot advocate such a thing. i have done it but,,,,,its not what the I Ching is for imo. i was in really dire straights when i decided to ask for guidance relating to gambling. i wouldnt want to mess up my relationship with I Ching over something like that. The I Ching has given me very specific detailed advice, it really doesnt have to, i feel extremely fortunate and humble.

[ralis]

Probably the best practice for money, investing and gaming is Mercury. There are mantras from India as well as practices devoted to Hermes.

[thelerner]

The person who can legally change a teams make up thus chance to win is the owner. The coaches necessarily kowtow to them. They can pay the big bucks to get great talent or let a team rot. I felt after the Bulls won a few titles the owners were very happy to see the big stars leave and suddenly exorbitant salaries ended up in there pockets. Or they might tweak a team's make up to get public funding for a new stadium.

 

Or maybe I'm just thinking of the plot from the movie 'Major League'.

 

 

Paradoxically I don't believe in luck, yet find myself very lucky. I remember in one charity lottery I told my wife I don't want to win the first prize, I want the second one. And I got it. I tend to win more then I lose and generally stay away from games of chance. I see most gambling as movement along a downward flowing sine wave. Thus there's a little bit of skill, but mostly its knowing when to stop when you're ahead and that usually early on in the game.

 

We need to beware of fooling ourselves and remember in poker the mathematician tends to clean out the optimist.

[ralis]

We need to beware of fooling ourselves and remember in poker the mathematician tends to clean out the optimist.

 

That is correct.

[Nungali]

Maybe not I ching ... but this guy knows how to influence a game (actually not just one, but a series of them

 

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19930512&id=Sr0wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mfwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3909,421937

An indigenous tribal elder made front page headlines when he "pointed the bone" and placed a curse on the Magpies. People thought it was a bit of a joke, even though the elder was deadly serious and not the crackpot that many believed.

 

And from that moment, things just fell apart for Collingwood. Their season unravelled. They lost their next six games in a row. It seemed like every week, 3 or 4 of their players succumbed to injury: soft tissue, knees, broken bones, you name it. In the blink of an eye, their season became a nightmare. The Magpies tumbled from the top 4 to the bottom 4 (4th to 12th) and the football world rejoiced in their misery.

 

Belatedly their President made an apology and the curse was lifted.

 

I remember watching it on the news … the embarrassed club officials meeting with the elder (they got desperate when they started loosing so much, willing to try anything), the elder in full paint and costume doing a ceremony on the 6 o’clock news to lift the curse.

 

But the damage had been done. Despite storming home to win 9 of their next 10 games, Collingwood missed out on the finals by half a game.

True story. A shame they didn’t apologise a week earlier .

[Green Tiger]

Maybe not I ching ... but this guy knows how to influence a game (actually not just one, but a series of them

 

http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1346&dat=19930512&id=Sr0wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mfwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3909,421937

An indigenous tribal elder made front page headlines when he "pointed the bone" and placed a curse on the Magpies. People thought it was a bit of a joke, even though the elder was deadly serious and not the crackpot that many believed.

 

And from that moment, things just fell apart for Collingwood. Their season unravelled. They lost their next six games in a row. It seemed like every week, 3 or 4 of their players succumbed to injury: soft tissue, knees, broken bones, you name it. In the blink of an eye, their season became a nightmare. The Magpies tumbled from the top 4 to the bottom 4 (4th to 12th) and the football world rejoiced in their misery.

 

Belatedly their President made an apology and the curse was lifted.

 

I remember watching it on the news … the embarrassed club officials meeting with the elder (they got desperate when they started loosing so much, willing to try anything), the elder in full paint and costume doing a ceremony on the 6 o’clock news to lift the curse.

 

But the damage had been done. Despite storming home to win 9 of their next 10 games, Collingwood missed out on the finals by half a game.

True story. A shame they didn’t apologise a week earlier .

 

Thanks for sharing that! Funniest thing I've read today!

[Brian]

Some will remember the Billy Goat Tavern from Saturday Night Live, some may have seen my t-shirt (which I recently wore at a workshop) but few remember its connection to a Major League Baseball curse...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Billy_Goat

[SonOfTheGods]

If it is on TV- is was solely created to Entertain$$$ you, the viewer.

 

I don't believe any of it.

 

I'm not even convinced 0bama and Michelle are really married and if those two girls really are his daughters.

 

All the world a theater, and deception.

 

Maya- not my morning beverage

 

 

On a lighter note, it takes 67 rotten bananas to make 1/8 teaspoon of banana juice

 

[Green Tiger]

On a lighter note, it takes 67 rotten bananas to make 1/8 teaspoon of banana juice

 

Whoa . . . dats a lotta rotten bonanas!

[SonOfTheGods]

Whoa . . . dats a lotta rotten bonanas!

so, could interest you in buying my rotten banana?