It’s a fair question, but one that doesn’t get brought up often enough. As a die-hard sports fan, it would break my heart if it were true but for starters, we would NEVER find out, obviously, and two, there is way too much “underground” money involved for anyone to come out and corroborate these claims. However, as I’ve gotten older, paid closer attention to certain games, and started noticing some patterns coming forward, it’s hard not to have some doubts about whether some of the games we watch are already pre-determined.
For starters, for anyone who is looking to get a glimpse into the world of sports betting, check out the book titled, “Interference: How Organized Crime Influences Professional Football”. This is in no way an advertisement for the book, but rather a fellow sports fan urging to give it a read if you would like to have your mind opened to the possibilities that lay in front of us when it comes to organized crime, money, and the sports world. Now, with that said, let’s get into it.
For starters, let’s bring up the topic right away of the NBA and how certain games can be fixed. I remember watching a video that thoroughly explained how the Sacramento Kings were cheated out of a Finals appearance in 2002. That year Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets had booked their ticket to the NBA Finals, and with the Kings upon the Lakers, it seemed that we would be seeing a Nets-Kings NBA Final.
But what kind of television ratings would that have meant for the league? I mean, which team would attract more viewers? In one corner we have the Lakers who house Shaq and Kobe, and on the Kings we have…Mike Bibby? Vlade Divac? These two were all-star players and masters of their craft, but, obviously, Shaq and Kobe would bring in more television viewers for the NBA Finals, which means more money for the league.
So, what happened in Game 6 of that series will live on in basketball fans’ minds for years to come. The Lakers seemed to be going to the line quite often for free throws, while the Kings kept getting called for fouls that we’re barely even fouls. When the Lakers would actually foul, the refs wouldn’t call a single thing. These actions by the referees, in a crucial game that could’ve sent the Kings to the Finals, opened the eyes of sports fans around the world. What else don’t we know about that is going on behind the scenes?
I’ve witnessed, as I’m sure many other NFL fans as well, instances in NFL games where things just aren’t adding up. From Spygate to DeflateGate, to a bunch of other shady things that have gone down in the NFL in recent years, it’s hard to not have some questions regarding the fair play we expect as sports fans. The tipping point for me was when I found out that the NFL is classified as an “entertainment” business, the exact same thing the WWE is filed under.
The WWE is scripted, and they have fans globally, who pay to see the scripted events taking place. The NFL has gained fans globally, and kids sign up every year to play football for the love of the sport, but the integrity has to be there for people to retain the same amount of passion as they do now. With all these allegations, It’s hard to watch games the same.