Posted on 02/01/2023 9:35:18 AM PST by Red Badger
I went ballistic when I first saw this.
The “NFL is rigged” conversation has been happening for years now, but with how things went down in the Jan. 29 AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals (specifically with the officiating), the talks have ratcheted up.
And now, former Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins running back Arian Foster is getting involved, throwing some fuel into the fire with one statement: “The league is scripted.”
Speaking on his “Macrodosing” podcast with PFT Commenter, Foster elaborated on an off-air comment alleging that NFL players receive a script.
“We were really dedicated to [the NFL’s script],” said Foster. “So, it was more, like, that’s what practice was about, practicing the script. This is what goes on. This is what we have to do … It’s like WWF, so we know what’s going to happen, but you still have to put on a show.”
This led to current Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey also claiming that “giving up 200 to Chase was just me following the script.”
When I first saw this clip — I won’t lie — I freaked out.
But when you look deeper into it and watch more of the podcast for context (which I did), it sounds like everything was just a big goof. And by the way, great marketing from these guys to use this clip to promote their show amid all of the ratcheted up “NFL is rigged” talk. PFT Commenter even brilliantly said, “can we clip just that part?”
And they did, hilariously without any context, and now it has everybody talking about their show. Just genius.
Here’s the podcast in its entirety. I started at the mark where Foster and PFT started talking about the “script,” so you can get right into it and see everything with context.
Like I said, genius marketing move and it’s hilarious.
But with all of that being said, I could totally believe the NFL is rigged, for the simple fact that my Miami Dolphins haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1974 — I can rock with that narrative.
And if it is scripted … NFL, can my Phins get at least ONE here in my time of being alive?
For the love of God, just one!
Two worst games in football history.
there is a bigger story. Kelce brothers playing and Andy Reid getting his revenge on the Eagles...and well..yeah two black QBs.
I thought it was interesting that the network silenced Reid until he handed back the mic to the announcer. I noticed Kelce didnt touch the mic when he slammed the mayor and yelled his Right to party line.
Haven’t watched an entire NFL game in maybe 40 years, but saw that play. Didn’t like the cowboys, but felt sorry for Jackie Smith. That isn’t as easy a catch as it appears. The ball was a little late and knee high. He had to slow down quick and get low. The palms close to the body and fingers away is not an easy a way to form the catching pocket.
(I was a seldom used WR in small time college for 2 yrs, before becoming a full time farmer. Could catch as good as anyone on the team, just way too slow in the 40.)
I read through this thread....I stopped watching the NFL in the 3rd quarter of the 4th game of the 2017 season. Good riddance.
I totally disagree with your post.
They’re plenty of websites that track movements money on all legal gambling sites simultaneously, so it’s almost impossible to conceal mass movements of money at legal gambling sites.
Compared to when gambling was done thru illegal methods, when someone with information could spread bets around and no one would know because the fact they were taking bets was illegal.
For example, when the NBA referee Tim Donaghy was caught gambling on games it was harder to uncover because he was gambling with illegal sites.
Besides, legal sites handle many millions more than illegal sites today which makes it even harder to move the line versus before when multiple small sites that are illegal could move their lines on smaller bets.
I agree that moving the line is harder.
Today’s professional gamblers have to settle for rigging the event and then anonymously cashing in....
But—that is a lot easier than the old days when the mob had to have individual people place large bets.
That last possession by the Bengals ruined by the BS intentional grounding call was the coup de gras. He was struck while passing and it landed within feet if a receiver.
Sports books will respond to unbalanced betting by adjusting point spreads to bring betting back into balance. Even if a large amount of money is bet on one side in the form of many small bets, the books will adjust the spread and it would be obvious. Bookmakers set spreads based on getting equal amounts bet on each team and they generally are very good at it. Very rarely do spreads move more than a point or two in either direction, and larger moves often are explained by news that comes out after the original spread has been set (most often an announcement that a starting QB is injured and will not play). Large changes in the spread for no apparent reason would not go unnoticed.
there are a lot of sports twitter people that post what is happening with the betting and how they adjust and what they need. Patrick Everson is one
https://twitter.com/PatrickE_Vegas
I don’t agree that games are fixed, each NFL team with worth billions, gambling generates interest, money is made thru TV, for NFL Owners.
The absolute last thing legal gambling sites and NFL owners would want to happen is for it to come out that the games are fixed, literally hundreds of billions of dollars would be lost over night, far exceeding any money that is won via gambling.
If you believe the NFL is fixed, you must believe every sport around the world is also fixed, because around the world gambling on sporting events is legal just about everywhere.
Compared to the rest of the world, gambling on sporting events is still constricted versus in the USA.
Are you really going to leave a business worth over $10 billion on the books, and tens of billions off the books in gambling revenue, to chance?
I think not. Of course it’s scripted. The concept that players and refs aren’t on the take to some degree, is complete nonsense. There is just way too much money floating about not to take advantage and pocket some of it... And the good news... It’s tax free.
there was at least one call that went a different way than the “expert” thought it would go. I dont remember which one.
Since 1969, the Vikings seem to always show up drunk or stoned for Superbowl and or playoffs.
It almost seems like....
“So long as they (the Proles) continued to work and breed, their other activities were without importance. Left to themselves, like cattle turned loose upon the plains of Argentina, they had reverted to a style of life that appeared to be natural to them, a sort of ancestral pattern...Heavy physical work, the care of home and children, petty quarrels with neighbors, films, football, beer and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.”
― George Orwell, 1984
The fact that gambling is prevalent is actually the biggest reason to believe that the games are NOT fixed. Fixed games would kill the profits of the sports books. To see this, you simply need to understand how sports books make money. They do not give a crap which team wins the point spread betting. They set the spread in such a way as to attract balanced action; that is roughly the same amount of money bet on each team. They are not trying to predict the result of the game when setting the spread, but rather the betting public’s perception of what that outcome will be. Assuming they succeed (and they almost always do; they are very good at setting lines), they are then guaranteed to profit regardless of the outcome of the game.
That is because they don’t pay off even money to winners, but rather typically -110 odds. This means that if you bet $110 on a game they pay you a profit of $100, not $110. Consider a hypothetical sports book with the upcoming Super Bowl. Suppose they set some line for the game and attract $11 million in bets on each team. Regardless of which team wins the betting, they then owe the winners $10 million in the winning bets. They have $11 million in losing bets to pay off this sum to the winners. The book therefore makes $1 million off the betting regardless of whether the Chiefs or Eagles win the betting.
Now what could possibly go wrong with this business model? Well two things: either a reduction in betting action or unbalanced betting. Rigged games could lead to either of these scenarios whereas fair games would not. If it became widely known that games were rigged, most people would stop betting on them. Why would you bet on an unfair game? The only people who would still bet would be those who knew about the fix, and they certainly would not be betting equally on both teams, would they? Either way, rigging the games would kill the sports books. The fact that sports books are operating and profitable is a very good indication that games are fair.
Fans are entitled to their opinions. No flags in the last 1:00 would be a disaster. The seven officials on the field get to see if once at game speed. You enjoy the ability to see frame by frame and make judgments.
In this particular call the NFL has codified knots rule book that a hit in a defenseless player is UNR and penalized by a 15 yard penalty against the offending team. It is no secret the NFL as a point of emphasis wants to eliminate the defenseless hits. In this case QB # 15 had his foot clearly in the paint heading to the sideline and then was hit from behind which caused him to go to the ground.
But there is an art to officiating. I agree with some here who have said the call was technically correct but didn’t have to be made. Was it enough? At that point in the game I don’t think so. One must officiate time and score
Nonetheless the down judge and side judge were in the classic no win. They make the call they rigged the game for KC and Maholmes. They don’t make the call they rig the game for the the bengals. Either call is acceptable but the standard philosophy behind the rules is when in doubt if it is a safety issue or defenseless player issue throw the flag. When in doubt on a judgment call pass on it.
This call was a the kobyashi maru of officiating.
The article itself doesn’t even claim the games are rigged. He’s pointing out the false hype of the clip.
https://www.outkick.com/nfl-arian-foster-mocks-claims-rigged/
I propose that in the last minute of every game, there are no penalties, it would be like “The Purge”, anything goes.
That would do wonders for the ratings.
Let’s also not forget: not making that late hot call would not have necessarily meant that the Bengals would have won. It only would have meant that the game would have (likely) gone to overtime. It is still quite possible that the Chiefs would have won after a no call there, and one could argue that they were more likely to have won than lost. Assume OT is a 50/50 proposition. Then there is some small probability the Chieds might win without OT, not likely, but not zero, either via a Hail Mary play or a 60 yard FG. The point is that call did not give the game to KC. Not to mention that Cincy could have done more in the almost 60 minutes prior to that call to ensure that the game wouldn’t come down to that particular play.
The article validates my opinion, the games are not fixed, the NFL does have incompetent people in key positions, the NFL has gone woke which turns many people off, the NFL is owned and controlled by billionaires who are not about to risk their investments on rigging games.
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