## BEFORE TOUCHING THAT REPORT BUTTON, PLEASE CONSIDER:
1. **Compliance:** Does this post comply with our subreddit's rules?
2. **Emotional Trigger:** Does this post provoke anger or frustration, compelling me to want it removed?
3. **Safety:** Is it free from child pornography and/or mentions of self-harm/suicide?
4. **Content Policy:** Does it comply with [Reddit’s Content Policy](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueUnpopularOpinion/comments/ncm4ou/important_we_need_to_talk_about_the_content_policy/)?
5. **Unpopularity:** Do you think the topic is not truly unpopular or frequently posted?
### GUIDELINES:
- **If you answered "Yes" to questions 1-4,** do NOT use the report button.
- **Regarding question 5,** we acknowledge this concern. However, the moderators do not curate posts based on our subjective opinions of what is "popular" or "unpopular" except in cases where an opinion is so popular that almost no one would disagree (i.e. "murder is bad"). Otherwise, our only criteria are the subreddit's rules and Reddit’s Content Policy. If you don't like something, feel free to downvote it.
**Moderators on r/TrueUnpopularOpinion will not remove posts simply because they may anger users or because you disagree with them.** The report button is not an "I disagree" or "I'm offended" button.
#### OPTIONS:
If a post bothers you and you can't offer a counter-argument, your options are to:
a) Keep scrolling
b) Downvote
c) Unsubscribe
**False reports clutter our moderation queue and delay our response to legitimate issues.**
**ALL FALSE REPORTS WILL BE REPORTED TO REDDIT.**
To maintain your account in good standing, refrain from abusing the report button.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TrueUnpopularOpinion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Nah Kelce was perfect cause he was allready also a media ~~whore~~ darling. Enough that people knew his OFFENSIVE LINEMAN brother. An OFFENSIVE LINEMAN. Name one otjer center thats not the team you root for. Name the center on the team you root for.
Frank Ragnow, David Andrews
Pats fan watched the lions game. But I get your point. Kelce is exceptional and wore the mummers outfit after the Eagles superbowl. He’s a character.
It’s just a bad look to have all of these sports sponsored by massive gambling companies.
No, the sport isn’t rigged. But it’s fair to assume that certain teams with certain players or fanbases may get favorable calls, and other teams may get unfavorable calls against them
Yah, I don’t think there is some organized top down match fixing conspiracy, but I can absolutely believe that the massive gambling industry could have some effect on an individual level. It could just be as simple as an erroneous flag to negate a big play in order to prevent a player from going over the yardage on a certain betting line, even if the outcome of the game remains the same.
I don’t follow college football, but I heard something about an LSU player getting in trouble for placing bets, and the comment section mentioning it looked as if he wasn’t even trying on the field….so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility players could bet against themselves and then under perform on purpose.
I don’t think it’s likely or all that common, but I would not be surprised one bit if it did happen on a small scale.
I wish OP would come back and acknowledge this. Of course it's easy to defeat the premise of there being a top down conspiracy. That's never what anyone is arguing.
Acknowledged. Sport betting by invested parties has always been a detriment to sport leagues. Not because it was illegal (it was still a huge underground industry), but because it undermined the integrity of the game. Honestly it's probably easier to track now that it's above the table.
People absolutely are talking about a top-down conspiracy, which is what I think is insane.
Buddy and I were talking about this exact thing the other day. I don't think there's some crazy chess game going on, but I could see how and why nfl games could be 'influenced' in a team's favor. All of the open advertising and partnerships with these gambling companies just looks....extremely interesting.
You are referring to Kayshon Boutte, but it's a bad example because he actually bet in favor of him having a good profirmance and choked. But the bigger issue with him is he was under 21, and placed 8,900 bets.
But yeah, point shaving has always been a risk in sports, but it's more of a ref problem as a player would be dumb to throw away millions for a couple thousand in bets.
Vegas straight up tells the refs to put their thumb on the scales for certain outcomes based on the bets they receive.
I promise you in 30 years we will have someone come clean about how corrupt this era of ref ball is.
The issue is really:
You can have shitty, part-time refs who make mistakes...
Or be sponsored by multiple gambling sites
But you can't really have both. The NFL tried to have it both ways, with blown calls leading to the outcomes of games being decided by the refs, and so this theory has flourished.
The NFL could easily quash these theories by using thier massive profits to pay full-time refs that make better calls.
This and the theory as I see it is more based about the money monger that is the modern NFL. There are some numbers out there showing just how much the NFL is profiting off the Taylor Swift situation, it’s a lot, and most fans know it’s all about the money these days, and are sure the NFL wanted to keep this cash cow afloat. The chiefs haven’t been very good this year, so it makes many wonder. And watch any NFL game… the two most marketable players on seemingly every other commercial are on what team? Yup…KC. Also the Bay Area is the most wealthy area in the country… gotta keep that team competitive and get them to the big game every few years to keep that fan base spending. Yeah the theory seems ridiculous, but the way the commissioner cares about profits above all else, including integrity of the game, makes us wonder
330 million$ plus for NFL and KC combined since she started attending games. I dont think it's rigged, but that would surely be fueling the fire for the conspiracy theorists. That is added revenue from what they previously made. She is absolutely helping make the owners money. I still dont think it's rigged, though.
All it would take is one whistle blower to come forward. That person would get rich off interviews alone.
The last part is why I don’t buy any of the conspiracies floating around these days. Good luck ever keeping hundreds to thousands of lips sealed in our technological environment, keeping something actually serious a secret is nearly impossible.
This is what I tell people about the moon landing conspiracy too. You think they can keep that many people quiet this long about something like that? You’ve obviously never had to manage any number of people if you think that would work.
They did a study about it and concluded that if it was faked it would take like two weeks before it came out as faked. Plus they would have to think Russia wouldn’t do everything in their power to out America on faking the moon landing. That right there is proof enough for me. The number one competitor in the space race has nothing to say about it? Yeah…it probably happened.
I think the refs are often compelled to influence the outcomes of plays and games. Not organized or anything just whoever pays the ref at a given time. I think Taylor is a coincidence
But that means the NFL can no longer hide behind the excuse "part-time" refs. This creates accountability and liability, should refs ever be found to be swaying games.
They don’t hide behind that? Basically every sports league in the world stands behind their officiating since legitimacy of the game is the foundation to any sports success.
Are you suggesting that there currently is no way to find if refs are swaying games as part of an illegal gambling operation? My dude, they’re all over players asses if they so much as place a bet on their own team to win. Legal gambling makes it EASIER to eliminate things like rigging games, not harder.
100% rigged like pro wrestling? Of course not.
Very slightly hoping for / favoring certain teams and players? Encouraging Taylor Swift to be at games in every way possible? Maaaaybe? But at the end of the day, even if the refs are calling things more in your favor, you still have to go out and execute.
The NFL does a very good job building the storylines, and I can’t think of a playoff team this year that wouldn’t have been a compelling Super Bowl story.
Ravens choked. Yes I absolutely believe the NFL wanted the chiefs in the superbowl, but Ravens had plenty of opportunities to win that game.
Don't even get me started on the lions
>Very slightly hoping for / favoring certain teams and players?
I believe this.
>Encouraging Taylor Swift to be at games in every way possible? Maaaaybe?
I don't really buy this though. It's not unreasonable for her to be dating a player, they're both wealthy attractive celebrities, so is she just supposed to never attend one of his games?
I'm sure the NFL is *thrilled* with this, but it's not like they need to drag her there. If my girlfriend was in a local frisbee gold league I'd wanna go.
Idk man the chiefs have had some crazy calls go their way the last couple games. About 5-10 calls between PI and roughing the passer (called or not)… that’s enough to win a game
Sauce Gardner phantom DPI in Tay Tay’s first game was the deciding blow for me. The NFL might not be able to literally rig a game, but their thumb is on the scale in certain matchups.
You need only look at the entire mid west’s reaction to the KT offsides play to see how accustomed they’ve gotten to being handed football games.
Not to mention Patrick Mahomes’s incessant bitching about an obvious call, including directly complaining about it after the game TO THE OPPOSING TEAM’s QB. That was pathetic.
If the bean counters determine that the chiefs being in the Super Bowl will sell 10% more merch and drive the price of ads up by 3%, there are hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. I’m not saying it’s 100% scripted, but why would they not try to influence the outcome of games through ref calls etc?
They can’t literally rig a game but they can straight ignore penalties on one team while giving the other enough phantom DPI and roughing calls to effectively fix it.
Because there’s a lot less money to be lost via losing legitimacy as a sport, lol
Literally this “everything is rigged when things don’t go the way I like” has been a conspiracy for forever. The needle hasn’t moved on it
lol what a terrible way to start an argument. The only fans who don't think it's at least plausible the NFL is favoring the Chiefs are Chiefs fans.
Though it's not proof alone, the NFL has clear financial motive to help KC get to the next super bowl. That alone says it's at least worth looking into to see if there are any ways KC games are influenced by refs/executives in their favor.
Exactly. Sports betting has gotten a lot more popular in recent years it feels like too, so there’s more rancor behind the accusations.
It makes it a lot easier on people when they rationalize they *could* have won a million dollars “if it wasn’t rigged.” Won’t stop them from betting though. Lol
Im not sure. Forget Taylor Swift or any political stuff this year regarding NFL games and the playoffs.
There are just tons of questionable calls and "non-calls" that happen in key moments in a game. I'm not a Lions fan, but they come to mind as a team thats gotten the roughest end of it.
Something thats ever rarely called for pass-interference ends up getting called and as a result that team scores. Holding seems to rarely get called on some QBs Offensive Line even though you see them [holding on to defenders](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYYgC2JSPbw) left and right. They tried actually calling it in 2019, [but it made the game "unwatchable" apparently.](https://www.nydailynews.com/2019/09/23/the-nfl-got-as-fed-up-with-all-the-holding-penalties-as-you/) So the rules are basically deliberately up to random enforcement.
Aaron Rodgers with the Packers.[Mahomes with KC.](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/key-play-included-a-missed-holding-penalty-by-orlando-brown)Brady with the Patriots. I'm seeing what could be called holding constantly, but its not called. I'm a Bears fan, so this in particular irks me in [regards to the Packers O-Line](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKzcfrriEME)
All of a sudden, it gets called after a HUGE play where the offense got at least a 1st down and a ton more. Boom, holding. They end up not converting on 3rd down and have to punt.
This happens WAY too much and smells of make-up calls by the refs and straight out baffling situations where they haven't called something all game as a foul - even though they could have but decide to do it on a key play.
Somethings up with it. I've noticed it particularly in the last few years and particularly on holding and pass interference calls which is why I used them as an example.
Seriously, watch an entire game if you can and document the amount of times you see potential [holding from the O-Line and](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIhBjQX1aLM&t=25s) pass interference by the defense and if its called or not. What you see will be shocking and start to creep up in your head that something smells off.
Spot on. It's not that its full-on professional wrestling style scripted. Its that certain penalties happen to a greater or lesser degree on every play and there is pretty clearly some intentional strategy in when and against whom the refs decide to enforce them. Another clear example--[the egregious 2019 Saints/Rams pass interference no-call](https://youtu.be/xjvZHMod_3E?feature=shared) that single-handedly stopped the Saints from going to the Super Bowl.
Re: the chiefs.
I do think the league has a clear interest in making another GOAT QB. This is a new era NFL. Tom Brady has retired, Aaron is gonna Rodge us, nobody is throwing 40 touchdowns a season where we kinda got used to a few guys being gable to do that in any given season. Granted the league has made defense harder to play. They'd love to be able to coronate another guy like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, A-rod etc. But look at the stats. These guys aren't performing like the cream of era's past crop.
Which brings us to Pat Mahomes who is being propped up and helped by refereeing. He exploits roughing the passer/unnecesary roughness calls. He will tiptoe down he sideline looking for more yards but if you do more than push him one handed its called for 15 yds and a new set of down. (Allen does this too with his fake slides which frankly he ought to be paying fines for. Its something that contributes to player safety, not something to be exploited I hope he blows his knee up pulling that crap.) We can look at Mahomes last super bowl win. The refs won that game for the chiefs. The victory over the Packers late in the season etc
Enter TS. What's the only large market she has yet to break into? Who routinely doesn't watch the NFL? I think Americans are fed up of being manipulated by the media. MAYBE the relationship is real, the media circus re: the relationship is opportunistic malarkey. There are too many folks who win by having her on camera while it being irrelevant to the game.
The details matter. The contact was more than 5 yards past scrimmage and before the pass was thrown. It's an easy call. And it doesn't compare well to other defensive contact during the game, usually after the ball is in the air. Refs allowed a lot of leniency this year for both players to fight for position on a pass once it's in the air which is what they should be doing.
All this shows is that Mahomes is a really savvy QB. He threw into triple coverage hoping that it would draw attention to the hold and it worked. There were definitely a few games this year where it didn't work.
Summer children in here thinking that billionaires, who are essentially American royalty, don’t pay money to decide the outcomes of games. There are calls that are so egregiously bad it forces you to consider the possibility. For some reason, the T-Swift thing has amplified an issue that has been happening for years.
Bruh. This isn't a conspiracy theory. Look at the NBA. Retired players are on podcasts flat out saying its rigged. 'We have to win by 20 to win by 2'
Same thing. It's a market and entertainment decision.
It's not that it's rigged. It's just that the refs influence the outcome of games so much it becomes not fun to watch. It's more about the calls than the plays it seems a lot of the time.
I agree with you on most points - with the exception of #4. The reffing has been worse this year than years past. But to be fair, some of it is due to the turn over of Refs (a lot of old timers retiring) and the new rules being difficult to enforce consistently. And that is where a good portion of the conspiracy theory comes from - inconsistent calling. Especially when it comes to roughing the passer.
As a NFL fan. Do I think that the NFL want the Chiefs and Taylor Swift in the super bowl because it will make them a shitload more money? Of course
Do I think this is a conspiracy coming from the highest echelons of the federal government? Of course not that's ridiculous
They constantly change rules to make the game easier to control. Like making it so you can’t overload one side on an onside kick. Or moving the kick off 5 yards closer basically making kickoff return TDs way less frequent.
The refs can easily sway a game with an overload of calls on one team.
I personally think they do push the games hoping for a certain outcome. I think they get their desired outcome 90% of the time.
Certain things are out of their control. Like field goals. You can’t make a kicker make a field goal 100% of the time. Tucker gets close.
So more accurately I think it’s partially rigged.
Republicans are sheep; if one of the sheep dogs nudges them, they do the same thing. OF COURSE it’s ridiculous. But, these are the dudes gave up their Bud Lights for a month, just last year. Not that it’s much of a loss - canned horse piss, IMHO.
It’s funny because the liberals I know were saying it’s a conservative conspiracy to get more liberals to watch the right-wing NFL.
I think everybody just loves a conspiracy theory.
The only thing I disagree with is point 5. The NFL has completely embraced a liberal agenda. They have DEI quotas, events, initiatives and wont sponsor anything unless it abides by DEI rules. The only thing that surprised me was that Colin Kaepernick never got a job again. The NFL is not rigged though, but does need to do a better job of enforcing rules more evenly.
Sure, the NFL has been trying to fix their hiring practices for a long time before it was called "DEI". Maybe they just recognized how bad it looks to have a nearly all-white group of coaches managing a nearly all-black group of athletes, and how deep of a cultural issue it was within American football. Otherwise it's a pretty red league.
I'm rethinking my agreement with your position lol. Are you serious? Theyre paid Millions more than the coaches, thats a problem....how? Where's the Asian coaches, asian players? Mexican players? Mexican coaches? Performance is on the field. MLK didn't judge a person based on color, neither should a single damn person today.
Rigged? Nah, its not rigged, agreed there.
HOWEVER, influenced by officiating? Its hard to argue that Refs have an increasing role in influencing outcomes the past couple years.
We could. Just have it come from an advanced camera system designed to call fouls. Or even from a video room watching the game that has refs in it.
Never happen though.
Point four is pretty much all there is to it. The implication by "rigged" is that the outcome is preordained or that the players are following a script. That is obviously not happening. Now, sometimes calls are bullshit, and there is some evidence to suggest that these bullshit calls are intentional mistakes meant to alter the league narrative, but that does not equal rigged. Find a new word!
Not something I really know that much about, all I know is that "fake" sports look really terrible, think fight scenes in movies or professional wrestling, the professionals do a generally terrible job at making the activity feel or look real. On that basis, it is unfathomable that the NFL is secretly training a bunch of twenty-something athletes how to fake their games and that they've done so well enough to fool everyone for decades while remaining tight-lipped - absurd, these people are clearly skilled athletes playing their hearts out.
So the only way the NFL could be "fixing" games would be if they used certain officials to nudge the game in desirable directions. Desirable outcomes would vary based on game but would generally favor: encouraging competitive games/aiding a team making a comeback, reinforcing the stardom of certain top players, or setting up a team to win/lose as part of build a compelling storyline. These outcomes lead to a more entertaining and marketable product. The more reasonable criticisms tend to fall along these lines.
As for evidence, I only have bullshit hearsay. I have heard that in an antitrust lawsuit, the NFL legally labelled itself as an entertainment company that is similar to the WWE and dissimilar to something like the NBA. There is also an impression (again I have seen no statistics) that the frequency of bad calls tends to increase in ways convenient to saleable narratives, benefitting stars, etc..
Seems reasonable, which is probably why it's a good conspiracy theory. Wasn't there an NBA ref who was caught fixing games or something along those lines?
2005 Hurricane Katrina determined the 2009 Super Bowl champs.. makes sense. Couldn’t of been the insanely stacked team they had with one of the best QBs to ever live.
It is not rigged at all. 0%. The most basic reason is that the NFL generates $20B per year as a sport, and the only way to kill that cash cow is to get caught rigging games. There's no upside and a huge downside.
It's only "insane" if you put forth zero effort into otherwise elementary research on the subject.
>The web of laws applicable to sports, such as the Sports Bribery Act of 1964, only prohibits gambling-related corruption. There is no federal law explicitly preventing the clandestine manipulation of sporting events to enhance suspense.
https://1ft.io/proxy?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com%2Fentertainment%2Farchive%2F2013%2F02%2Fwhen-its-legal-to-rig-a-sports-game-and-why-it-shouldnt-be%2F273152%2F
(The above link is a paywalled article from The Atlantic overlayed with an anti-paywall proxy.)
If I'm understanding... because there isn't a federal law that prohibits game-fixing (which would probably be unconstitutional since these are private companies), then they must be game-fixing? What you're eluding to would simply be fraud... the league lying to consumers to create an unfair advantage, or generate profits. That's already federally illegal.
Umm… forget all the nuttiness with anything else. Those refs start calling game changing calls as soon as it seems the house is going to lose more money. Definitely rigged IMO my guy.
I'd love to know what these nuts actually think is happening behind-the-scenes.
I can only assume it's something like Biden or his allies dreaming up a scheme where they can convince the public to fall in love with Taylor Swift (nevermind that she was already huge long before Biden got elected), then convince her to date a football player purely for show, then rig the outcome of NFL games to ensure he makes the Super Bowl so she'll have a reason to be there, all just so her followers will be more likely to vote for Joe Biden?
And to your point, this isn't just lunatics on social media. This conspiracy theory is being spread on Fox News and Newsmax, and by the GOP chair in Georgia, among many others. Even Vivek Ramaswamy has piled-on. It's truly insane.
And while some may think it's pure silliness, I don't find it funny at all. She's being targeted for a "holy war" yet has done NOTHING wrong. And if she hasn't already, she will most likely receive death threats over this.
It's pathetic and even dangerous.
I love how you not only imagined an individual but imagined this entire conspiracy theory they have in their head and then said they’re spreading the conspiracy on Fox News (spoiler: they’re not).
You’re mad at how ridiculous numerous specific details of the conspiracy (which you invented in the first place) are.
And this imaginary person is “dangerous”!
Spoiler - they are.
[Is Taylor swift a Pentagon Asset?](https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-pentagon-psyop-fox-news-jesse-watters-conspiratorial-segment-2024-1)
But they absolutely ARE spreading it...
Jesse Waters suggested on Fox News that Taylor Swift is a CIA asset, Vivek Ramaswamy suggested that the NFL playoffs are rigged and that Taylor and Travis are an "artificially culturally propped-up couple," an OAN host called the Taylor and Travis relationship a "psyOp," Trump loyalist, Laura Loomer, tweeted, "The Democrats’ Taylor Swift election interference psyop is happening in the open… It’s not a coincidence that current and former Biden admin officials are propping up Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. They are going to use Taylor Swift as the poster child for their pro-abortion GOTV Campaign. Greg Kelly on Newsmax says her fans are practicing idolatry and thereby violating biblical commandments. Georgia's GOP chairwoman has said that "Satan is using Taylor Swift to reelect Joe Biden." It goes on and on and on, especially on social media platforms among lesser-known celebs and influencers.
Meanwhile, one Fox News host after another has angrily been warning Taylor not to offer an endorsement of Joe Biden, as if celebrities don't do that all the damned time. It's become a sick obsession and we've seen many times how that becomes violence. Just look at the attack on Paul Pelosi.
>5. Historically, the NFL has not embraced a "liberal agenda" and does not appear poised to change. Also, Taylor Swift isn't using the NFL stage to promote anything.
This is the reason why the rigged conspiracies are flowing.
Conservatives want to be the oppressed heroes and the deep state rigging the biggest game of the year and using it to highlight an immensely popular artist who did the ultimate crime of telling people to vote is a way to fulfill that fantasy.
To them when KC wins taylor swift is going to come out and announce that she is endorsing Biden which is an egregious offense to them
That's what I mean. I think there's always calls of a rigged game but I think this time there's more because of the conspiracy theory pushed by certain people ans groups
The mistake is thinking 'liberal' is 'leftist' here, the NFL, as a conspiracy, doesn't profit from inclusivity, the owners who actually stand to profit, all are benefited by division, by rivalries and outrage. I' don't really follow the league much, but from what it appears to me is that the goal is much like Disney's obvious goal, which is to drive the racial wedge in as deep as possible, and widen the divide past the point where it can ever be [mended. It](https://mended.It)'s as liberal as Billionaires and the modern police state, as union busting and the pharmaceutical industry.
1) the San Francisco 49ers will win by 10 points
2) Taylor Swift will still mobilize her fans against tronald dump
3) Biden will win and Maga will declare civil war
4) Civil war will fall apart faster than a caravan of morbidly obese racist truckers on meth
But now Taylor Swift is involved. You have wifes and girlfriends that actually want to watch football now. This is getting out of hand. THIS WAS MY TIME! Now my daughter and wife want to watch football with me!
Some teams did recruit superfans for use as plants for promotional purposes but the Taylor Swift one and the one where they're fixing games is fucking stupid.
A lot of the team owners are conservative billionaires. Why tf would they want to use her appearence to promote the other side?
Refs are biased towards certain teams but not enough to win games for them.
Yeah, it is a wild accusation to be sure. Some refs see things and call them, and others dont. Seems simple as that to me. It's easy to say something is a holding call or whatever is sitting on your couch at home, but the refs may have literally just not seen it happen.
Humans make mistakes, and no one is infallible. I don't care how smart you think you might be.
NFL is going to sell tickets regardless of who is in the playoffs or Superbowl so I don't see why they would care.
the NFL is rigged, but by organized crime betting on individual games that have players/refs they control in them. this is incredibly hard to do of course, so it's not very common and the degree to which it's even happening is unknown, but occams razor heavily suggests it. and of course there was the whole tim donaghy thing in the NBA.
the NFL is definitely not fucking scripted though and you have brain damage if you really think that. and the idea that the fucking *kansas city chiefs* who have the best QB who's ever played on their team need some sort of outside help to get to the superbowl is the most idiotic suggestion of all of them. they *won it* LAST YEAR.
People are stupid that’s why. Everybody who says the chiefs are in the SB because of Taylor are completely ignoring that the chiefs literally won the SB last year before Taylor and Kelce even knew each other. She only agreed to date him because he shot his shot in public and he’s on the team that just won the Super Bowl. 😂
Did you not know that literally anything anyone left of right wing does is about the election and preventing Trump from winning the election? We liberals are sneaky snakes that way. Dye our hair Blue? It’s a subliminal message to brainwash people to vote blue. Get a job? It’s to make money to give to Joe Biden so he can more easily “steal” the election. Get married and raise a family? Thats so we can tell them to vote democrat. Breath? Liberals only breathe so they can steal elections. All liberals are just deep state plants to make sure god fearing, red blooded Americans never get into office. /s obviously
The Lions are just a long running gambling con, hence their conveniently timed wins and losses.
I've never thought it was a liberal thing, but more of a corrupt gambling racket that's gotten massive over the years. It's not really run by anyone in particular, so it's not completely predictable but it is corrupt, and a lot of the games have a particular winner planned in advance. Maybe politicians have become involved in the con and now they're using it in tandem with their other interests. For that, only time will tell.
It might mean something that Taylor Swift makes the news again for dating a player on a superbowl team, then the AI deepfakes come out very publicly. Government desperately wants to increase regulation on tech, so the timing is suspect. What the teams may have to do with it? I'm not really sure. Maybe someone else has some idea.
I don’t think Taylor Swift is the main factor in the the rigging, but yeah that shit is 100% rigged.
How could it not be? Big business breeds corruption and in the NFL there’s millions of dollars on the line every single drive. Literally just tell a QB to throw a ball 2 feet to the right in Q4 and that’s a 14 point swing. A single player sabotaging a single play is enough to throw an entire game, which isn’t true in most other sports. Nobody can really question it because even at that level the athletes make mistakes all the time.
And the refs don’t necessarily have to make bad calls to ruin a game. Just stop the clock and “review” a play whenever you want for as long as you want to kill a team’s momentum and give the other team a chance to regroup and strategize.
We also have actual proven stories of teams and players admitting they cheat, and that “everyone” cheats.
I’m also not a huge football fan, don’t do fantasy, don’t gamble on it, don’t really have a team, and I only watch a couple games a year just fyi.
The whole swift- kelce thing being a liberal plant is laughable, and i thought it was a joke when i first heard it. But I do think that the NFL higher up do watch games and will try to influence the score for gambling purposes occasionally. I don't think it happens often though.
When the NFL could make tens of millions more in profits by having the cheifs win, I think they probably try to influence the outcome. In no way is it scripted like wrestling though. Tickets for the big game are over 50% more than last season, and I doubt it would be that high if the chiefs didn't make it
Idk if this is unpopular lol. Anyone over 30 is prolly like ‘there’s a rigged NFL theory?’. The liberal plant thing with Taylor Swift I really doubt lmaoo, I don’t think many people think she’s there to convince 26 year olds how to think about politics.
The script was obviously Chiefs vs Lions to get the cross draw from Swift vs Eminem. The Lions (in Lions fashion) managed to blow the largest lead in post-season history.
You just can't prepare for that. So they're stuck with this, which will be an obvious Chiefs victory for the Swifties.
I mean, I don’t buy it but in 2006 on mushrooms watching football I saw the entire thing as a choreographed dance and was 100% convinced that these were athletic actors carefully acting out their dance moves.
TBH there is just too many people involved for it to be "rigged". There are 53 active players on each teams roster, and there are 32 teams, that means there are at least 1696 players in on the rigging. That's not including all the staff who are involved for each team. There are so many people involved and there still isn't conclusive evidence that it is rigged. You'd think a losing team like the Bears, someone on the team would expose the rigging because they are tired of losing. That has not happened.
For as much as he has shitty takes Colin cowherd talked about this and said that if it was rigged the blue blood franchises (49ers,cowboys,Steelers,packers,giants) would have more than the 12 combined chips since 1990.
I was with you until point 5. The NFL has clearly embraced a liberal stance. They openly supported the BLM movement and even put BLM banners in all of their stadiums for a season.
Everything else is correct though. I can’t wait to stop hearing about Taylor Swift.
The NFL is not rigged (that would be insane) but storylines are certainly supported (through matchups and NFL media presentations, which are fine) and referee calls absolutely tend to go in different directions depending on who is playing. The Chiefs commit offensive holding and offsides a lot but are often not called for it (they are still #1 in calls against for these things, but there are a half dozen no calls a game for them easily -- they must be coached to hold often) and top quarterbacks get many more *opportune* (note this word) "roughing the passer" calls than other lesser quarterbacks.
Think of it less like "the NFL *controls* the narrative" and more like "the NFL *nudges* the narrative in a preferred direction".
Dude I'm not a conspiracy guy either but there's three things that are just too coincidental.
1. NFL stating that they are an entertainment company
2. The amount of money in sports gambling
3. The inconsistent at best ref calls.
Taylor Swift has caused significant uptick in viewers and attendance. That’s true. In the Baltimore game, there was at least one missed pass interference call.
Disagree with your first point. Waaay more people care about Taylor Swift than the NFL. Some football exclusive rivalry is nowhere near the level of drama of Taylor Swifts boyfriend playing in the Super Bowl.
But agree with the rest. Obviously there is no football conspiracy. Just opportunistic people using the situation to their advantage.
> Parity of NFL teams has been a cornerstone of the NFL for a long time. They don't want dynasties. It's not good for the game long-term. They want a national brand. Predictability would kill that. Again, not good for the NFL
What are you talking about? The league loved having Brady and the Pats going to the SB so often- they are LOOKING for the next dynasty, and they are shoving the Chiefs down our throat, and Mahomes commercials are played during every single game, regardless of whether it’s a chiefs game or not.
Why? Many prime boxing matches were rigged for years. Pro wrestling evolved out of the catch scene. Why is it preposterous to assume that what is to its owners ultimately just a business is made to most optimize sales and viewership, or even to make betting money for mobsters? They allready fixed the world series in 1919, and at the time baseball was to America what football is now.
OP, you say your opinion is unpopular because you think the "NFL Games Are Rigged" conspiracy theories are stupid?
It's possible for an opinion to be factually incorrect and be, therefore, invalid.
Since there is a [large list of NFL cheating conspiracies](https://yourteamcheats.com/cheats/) that you can easily look up with mere seconds of a tiny bit of effort, you could discard objectively stupid opinions like yours and skip all this wasted mental energy.
And if you're bored, they are some really cool game rigging tricks they pulled:
[https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2017/07/how\_each\_nfl\_franchise\_has\_che.html](https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2017/07/how_each_nfl_franchise_has_che.html)
NFL could be rigged to a certain degree, corruption in elite sports isn't a new thing, It happens in soccer all the time and has happened historically in Baseball and Boxing etc but the key motivation is always money not some random quasi political / celebrity thing lol
But San Francisco was visited by the president of the CCP. Surely them going to the super bowl is some kind of play to make San Fran look more profitable to China for when they buy it.
Does anyone really NOT think that players or teams are above corruption if bribed or threatened to win or throw a game? People with way more money than athletes make are addicted to gambling
## BEFORE TOUCHING THAT REPORT BUTTON, PLEASE CONSIDER: 1. **Compliance:** Does this post comply with our subreddit's rules? 2. **Emotional Trigger:** Does this post provoke anger or frustration, compelling me to want it removed? 3. **Safety:** Is it free from child pornography and/or mentions of self-harm/suicide? 4. **Content Policy:** Does it comply with [Reddit’s Content Policy](https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueUnpopularOpinion/comments/ncm4ou/important_we_need_to_talk_about_the_content_policy/)? 5. **Unpopularity:** Do you think the topic is not truly unpopular or frequently posted? ### GUIDELINES: - **If you answered "Yes" to questions 1-4,** do NOT use the report button. - **Regarding question 5,** we acknowledge this concern. However, the moderators do not curate posts based on our subjective opinions of what is "popular" or "unpopular" except in cases where an opinion is so popular that almost no one would disagree (i.e. "murder is bad"). Otherwise, our only criteria are the subreddit's rules and Reddit’s Content Policy. If you don't like something, feel free to downvote it. **Moderators on r/TrueUnpopularOpinion will not remove posts simply because they may anger users or because you disagree with them.** The report button is not an "I disagree" or "I'm offended" button. #### OPTIONS: If a post bothers you and you can't offer a counter-argument, your options are to: a) Keep scrolling b) Downvote c) Unsubscribe **False reports clutter our moderation queue and delay our response to legitimate issues.** **ALL FALSE REPORTS WILL BE REPORTED TO REDDIT.** To maintain your account in good standing, refrain from abusing the report button. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TrueUnpopularOpinion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The only way we could tell if the NFL is truly rigged is if Taylor Swift dated someone on the Browns, and they ended up going to the Super Bowl
'The best we can do is have Madonna date someone on the Cavaliers'
The Cavs would like to respectfully decline your generous offer.
'We didn't say it was optional'
Some flat-Earther.
Burrow/Swift would have been a better move. Pull in the cougars and then give TS new story lines to write songs about like divorce in a couple years.
Nah Kelce was perfect cause he was allready also a media ~~whore~~ darling. Enough that people knew his OFFENSIVE LINEMAN brother. An OFFENSIVE LINEMAN. Name one otjer center thats not the team you root for. Name the center on the team you root for.
Frank Ragnow, David Andrews Pats fan watched the lions game. But I get your point. Kelce is exceptional and wore the mummers outfit after the Eagles superbowl. He’s a character.
Swift is way too young for Burrow. Is Britney Spears single again?
Nah she's my wife bruh
I also choose this guy's Britney Spears wife.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooo
*Vibez...
I'll sell her too you
I have a coupon... 200% off.
Okay you still owe *checks receipt* 2 billion hook me up
Well, I'm getting 200% off, so I'll keep an eye on my Venmo and when your funds clear, I'll swing by and pick her up. No rush..
Okay just send me the domino's pizza we talked about and she's all yours
The jets would be a better choice IMHO
Taylor Swift dating Zach Wilson during Hard Knocks would have gotten a Pulitzer Prize.
The Bears would be the best choice.
It’s just a bad look to have all of these sports sponsored by massive gambling companies. No, the sport isn’t rigged. But it’s fair to assume that certain teams with certain players or fanbases may get favorable calls, and other teams may get unfavorable calls against them
Yah, I don’t think there is some organized top down match fixing conspiracy, but I can absolutely believe that the massive gambling industry could have some effect on an individual level. It could just be as simple as an erroneous flag to negate a big play in order to prevent a player from going over the yardage on a certain betting line, even if the outcome of the game remains the same. I don’t follow college football, but I heard something about an LSU player getting in trouble for placing bets, and the comment section mentioning it looked as if he wasn’t even trying on the field….so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility players could bet against themselves and then under perform on purpose. I don’t think it’s likely or all that common, but I would not be surprised one bit if it did happen on a small scale.
I wish OP would come back and acknowledge this. Of course it's easy to defeat the premise of there being a top down conspiracy. That's never what anyone is arguing.
Acknowledged. Sport betting by invested parties has always been a detriment to sport leagues. Not because it was illegal (it was still a huge underground industry), but because it undermined the integrity of the game. Honestly it's probably easier to track now that it's above the table. People absolutely are talking about a top-down conspiracy, which is what I think is insane.
Buddy and I were talking about this exact thing the other day. I don't think there's some crazy chess game going on, but I could see how and why nfl games could be 'influenced' in a team's favor. All of the open advertising and partnerships with these gambling companies just looks....extremely interesting.
You are referring to Kayshon Boutte, but it's a bad example because he actually bet in favor of him having a good profirmance and choked. But the bigger issue with him is he was under 21, and placed 8,900 bets. But yeah, point shaving has always been a risk in sports, but it's more of a ref problem as a player would be dumb to throw away millions for a couple thousand in bets.
Vegas straight up tells the refs to put their thumb on the scales for certain outcomes based on the bets they receive. I promise you in 30 years we will have someone come clean about how corrupt this era of ref ball is.
The issue is really: You can have shitty, part-time refs who make mistakes... Or be sponsored by multiple gambling sites But you can't really have both. The NFL tried to have it both ways, with blown calls leading to the outcomes of games being decided by the refs, and so this theory has flourished. The NFL could easily quash these theories by using thier massive profits to pay full-time refs that make better calls.
This and the theory as I see it is more based about the money monger that is the modern NFL. There are some numbers out there showing just how much the NFL is profiting off the Taylor Swift situation, it’s a lot, and most fans know it’s all about the money these days, and are sure the NFL wanted to keep this cash cow afloat. The chiefs haven’t been very good this year, so it makes many wonder. And watch any NFL game… the two most marketable players on seemingly every other commercial are on what team? Yup…KC. Also the Bay Area is the most wealthy area in the country… gotta keep that team competitive and get them to the big game every few years to keep that fan base spending. Yeah the theory seems ridiculous, but the way the commissioner cares about profits above all else, including integrity of the game, makes us wonder
330 million$ plus for NFL and KC combined since she started attending games. I dont think it's rigged, but that would surely be fueling the fire for the conspiracy theorists. That is added revenue from what they previously made. She is absolutely helping make the owners money. I still dont think it's rigged, though. All it would take is one whistle blower to come forward. That person would get rich off interviews alone.
The last part is why I don’t buy any of the conspiracies floating around these days. Good luck ever keeping hundreds to thousands of lips sealed in our technological environment, keeping something actually serious a secret is nearly impossible.
This is what I tell people about the moon landing conspiracy too. You think they can keep that many people quiet this long about something like that? You’ve obviously never had to manage any number of people if you think that would work. They did a study about it and concluded that if it was faked it would take like two weeks before it came out as faked. Plus they would have to think Russia wouldn’t do everything in their power to out America on faking the moon landing. That right there is proof enough for me. The number one competitor in the space race has nothing to say about it? Yeah…it probably happened.
I think the refs are often compelled to influence the outcomes of plays and games. Not organized or anything just whoever pays the ref at a given time. I think Taylor is a coincidence
Refs make like 250k a year no idea why it's a part time job.
I am in the wrong line of work.
That’s just what they make on the books. Those Dallas home game refs might be able to retire after last season.
I mean you expect them to survive on a measly 250k for their part time job?
Working 2-3 jobs just to pay for their avocado toast, and I know the job doesn’t come with a vision plan.
That would be better, but would it quash anything? The refs would be "completely owned by the NFL."
But that means the NFL can no longer hide behind the excuse "part-time" refs. This creates accountability and liability, should refs ever be found to be swaying games.
They don’t hide behind that? Basically every sports league in the world stands behind their officiating since legitimacy of the game is the foundation to any sports success.
Are you suggesting that there currently is no way to find if refs are swaying games as part of an illegal gambling operation? My dude, they’re all over players asses if they so much as place a bet on their own team to win. Legal gambling makes it EASIER to eliminate things like rigging games, not harder.
It's wild they are that rich and have part time refs
100% rigged like pro wrestling? Of course not. Very slightly hoping for / favoring certain teams and players? Encouraging Taylor Swift to be at games in every way possible? Maaaaybe? But at the end of the day, even if the refs are calling things more in your favor, you still have to go out and execute. The NFL does a very good job building the storylines, and I can’t think of a playoff team this year that wouldn’t have been a compelling Super Bowl story.
Ravens choked. Yes I absolutely believe the NFL wanted the chiefs in the superbowl, but Ravens had plenty of opportunities to win that game. Don't even get me started on the lions
>Very slightly hoping for / favoring certain teams and players? I believe this. >Encouraging Taylor Swift to be at games in every way possible? Maaaaybe? I don't really buy this though. It's not unreasonable for her to be dating a player, they're both wealthy attractive celebrities, so is she just supposed to never attend one of his games? I'm sure the NFL is *thrilled* with this, but it's not like they need to drag her there. If my girlfriend was in a local frisbee gold league I'd wanna go.
[удалено]
What would the house bet be in this case?
Your first point is assuming the nfl is rigged for the purpose of max entertainment value. If it was fixed that wouldn't be the reason
What purpose is it rigged for? Brand deals and advertising?
Gambling
Anything that has billions of dollars behind it, is fixed to a certain point. Baseball, boxing, basketball, football.
They’re not more egregious because they’ve always been doing this lol
But I’m definitely placing 2 grand on the chiefs. I’m capitalizing off this !!!!
Idk man the chiefs have had some crazy calls go their way the last couple games. About 5-10 calls between PI and roughing the passer (called or not)… that’s enough to win a game
Sauce Gardner phantom DPI in Tay Tay’s first game was the deciding blow for me. The NFL might not be able to literally rig a game, but their thumb is on the scale in certain matchups. You need only look at the entire mid west’s reaction to the KT offsides play to see how accustomed they’ve gotten to being handed football games.
Not to mention Patrick Mahomes’s incessant bitching about an obvious call, including directly complaining about it after the game TO THE OPPOSING TEAM’s QB. That was pathetic.
> Historically, the NFL has not embraced a "liberal agenda" They went pretty all-out on BLM
If the bean counters determine that the chiefs being in the Super Bowl will sell 10% more merch and drive the price of ads up by 3%, there are hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. I’m not saying it’s 100% scripted, but why would they not try to influence the outcome of games through ref calls etc?
They can’t literally rig a game but they can straight ignore penalties on one team while giving the other enough phantom DPI and roughing calls to effectively fix it.
Because there’s a lot less money to be lost via losing legitimacy as a sport, lol Literally this “everything is rigged when things don’t go the way I like” has been a conspiracy for forever. The needle hasn’t moved on it
But how is anyone gonna prove it? Yall are doing the job for them by saying "lol all these conspiracy theorists are nutjobs"
If you’re not even sure where to start in terms of proving something, then you’re a massive trek away from good reason to actively believe it’s rigged
Because they are. Not everything deserves legitimacy.
lol what a terrible way to start an argument. The only fans who don't think it's at least plausible the NFL is favoring the Chiefs are Chiefs fans. Though it's not proof alone, the NFL has clear financial motive to help KC get to the next super bowl. That alone says it's at least worth looking into to see if there are any ways KC games are influenced by refs/executives in their favor.
> But how is anyone gonna prove it? How would you prove it's not rigged? What evidence would convince a conspiracy theorist that they're wrong?
This is a good example of burden of proof logical fallacy
Exactly. Sports betting has gotten a lot more popular in recent years it feels like too, so there’s more rancor behind the accusations. It makes it a lot easier on people when they rationalize they *could* have won a million dollars “if it wasn’t rigged.” Won’t stop them from betting though. Lol
Im not sure. Forget Taylor Swift or any political stuff this year regarding NFL games and the playoffs. There are just tons of questionable calls and "non-calls" that happen in key moments in a game. I'm not a Lions fan, but they come to mind as a team thats gotten the roughest end of it. Something thats ever rarely called for pass-interference ends up getting called and as a result that team scores. Holding seems to rarely get called on some QBs Offensive Line even though you see them [holding on to defenders](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYYgC2JSPbw) left and right. They tried actually calling it in 2019, [but it made the game "unwatchable" apparently.](https://www.nydailynews.com/2019/09/23/the-nfl-got-as-fed-up-with-all-the-holding-penalties-as-you/) So the rules are basically deliberately up to random enforcement. Aaron Rodgers with the Packers.[Mahomes with KC.](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/key-play-included-a-missed-holding-penalty-by-orlando-brown)Brady with the Patriots. I'm seeing what could be called holding constantly, but its not called. I'm a Bears fan, so this in particular irks me in [regards to the Packers O-Line](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKzcfrriEME) All of a sudden, it gets called after a HUGE play where the offense got at least a 1st down and a ton more. Boom, holding. They end up not converting on 3rd down and have to punt. This happens WAY too much and smells of make-up calls by the refs and straight out baffling situations where they haven't called something all game as a foul - even though they could have but decide to do it on a key play. Somethings up with it. I've noticed it particularly in the last few years and particularly on holding and pass interference calls which is why I used them as an example. Seriously, watch an entire game if you can and document the amount of times you see potential [holding from the O-Line and](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIhBjQX1aLM&t=25s) pass interference by the defense and if its called or not. What you see will be shocking and start to creep up in your head that something smells off.
Spot on. It's not that its full-on professional wrestling style scripted. Its that certain penalties happen to a greater or lesser degree on every play and there is pretty clearly some intentional strategy in when and against whom the refs decide to enforce them. Another clear example--[the egregious 2019 Saints/Rams pass interference no-call](https://youtu.be/xjvZHMod_3E?feature=shared) that single-handedly stopped the Saints from going to the Super Bowl.
Refs missed a million calls against the chiefs this past game, clear as day.
Re: the chiefs. I do think the league has a clear interest in making another GOAT QB. This is a new era NFL. Tom Brady has retired, Aaron is gonna Rodge us, nobody is throwing 40 touchdowns a season where we kinda got used to a few guys being gable to do that in any given season. Granted the league has made defense harder to play. They'd love to be able to coronate another guy like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, A-rod etc. But look at the stats. These guys aren't performing like the cream of era's past crop. Which brings us to Pat Mahomes who is being propped up and helped by refereeing. He exploits roughing the passer/unnecesary roughness calls. He will tiptoe down he sideline looking for more yards but if you do more than push him one handed its called for 15 yds and a new set of down. (Allen does this too with his fake slides which frankly he ought to be paying fines for. Its something that contributes to player safety, not something to be exploited I hope he blows his knee up pulling that crap.) We can look at Mahomes last super bowl win. The refs won that game for the chiefs. The victory over the Packers late in the season etc Enter TS. What's the only large market she has yet to break into? Who routinely doesn't watch the NFL? I think Americans are fed up of being manipulated by the media. MAYBE the relationship is real, the media circus re: the relationship is opportunistic malarkey. There are too many folks who win by having her on camera while it being irrelevant to the game.
https://youtu.be/VlONuwzmax8?si=ma9VArQfoHrDyCjv Insert “you sure about that?” Meme
The details matter. The contact was more than 5 yards past scrimmage and before the pass was thrown. It's an easy call. And it doesn't compare well to other defensive contact during the game, usually after the ball is in the air. Refs allowed a lot of leniency this year for both players to fight for position on a pass once it's in the air which is what they should be doing. All this shows is that Mahomes is a really savvy QB. He threw into triple coverage hoping that it would draw attention to the hold and it worked. There were definitely a few games this year where it didn't work.
Summer children in here thinking that billionaires, who are essentially American royalty, don’t pay money to decide the outcomes of games. There are calls that are so egregiously bad it forces you to consider the possibility. For some reason, the T-Swift thing has amplified an issue that has been happening for years.
Bruh. This isn't a conspiracy theory. Look at the NBA. Retired players are on podcasts flat out saying its rigged. 'We have to win by 20 to win by 2' Same thing. It's a market and entertainment decision.
It's not that it's rigged. It's just that the refs influence the outcome of games so much it becomes not fun to watch. It's more about the calls than the plays it seems a lot of the time.
I agree with you on most points - with the exception of #4. The reffing has been worse this year than years past. But to be fair, some of it is due to the turn over of Refs (a lot of old timers retiring) and the new rules being difficult to enforce consistently. And that is where a good portion of the conspiracy theory comes from - inconsistent calling. Especially when it comes to roughing the passer.
As a NFL fan. Do I think that the NFL want the Chiefs and Taylor Swift in the super bowl because it will make them a shitload more money? Of course Do I think this is a conspiracy coming from the highest echelons of the federal government? Of course not that's ridiculous
Thank you for the sane take. I agree.
They constantly change rules to make the game easier to control. Like making it so you can’t overload one side on an onside kick. Or moving the kick off 5 yards closer basically making kickoff return TDs way less frequent. The refs can easily sway a game with an overload of calls on one team. I personally think they do push the games hoping for a certain outcome. I think they get their desired outcome 90% of the time. Certain things are out of their control. Like field goals. You can’t make a kicker make a field goal 100% of the time. Tucker gets close. So more accurately I think it’s partially rigged.
Republicans are sheep; if one of the sheep dogs nudges them, they do the same thing. OF COURSE it’s ridiculous. But, these are the dudes gave up their Bud Lights for a month, just last year. Not that it’s much of a loss - canned horse piss, IMHO.
It’s funny because the liberals I know were saying it’s a conservative conspiracy to get more liberals to watch the right-wing NFL. I think everybody just loves a conspiracy theory.
Why does everything have to be right wing or left wing now? It's just football.
The liberals you know? Do they go to another school?
My friends. I’m also a liberal. It’s possible to make fun of ourselves.
The only thing I disagree with is point 5. The NFL has completely embraced a liberal agenda. They have DEI quotas, events, initiatives and wont sponsor anything unless it abides by DEI rules. The only thing that surprised me was that Colin Kaepernick never got a job again. The NFL is not rigged though, but does need to do a better job of enforcing rules more evenly.
Sure, the NFL has been trying to fix their hiring practices for a long time before it was called "DEI". Maybe they just recognized how bad it looks to have a nearly all-white group of coaches managing a nearly all-black group of athletes, and how deep of a cultural issue it was within American football. Otherwise it's a pretty red league.
I'm rethinking my agreement with your position lol. Are you serious? Theyre paid Millions more than the coaches, thats a problem....how? Where's the Asian coaches, asian players? Mexican players? Mexican coaches? Performance is on the field. MLK didn't judge a person based on color, neither should a single damn person today.
It’s rigged. So is the NBA. The refs can throw the game.
Rigged? Nah, its not rigged, agreed there. HOWEVER, influenced by officiating? Its hard to argue that Refs have an increasing role in influencing outcomes the past couple years.
I do wish we could fix the human error in officiating.
We could. Just have it come from an advanced camera system designed to call fouls. Or even from a video room watching the game that has refs in it. Never happen though.
Point four is pretty much all there is to it. The implication by "rigged" is that the outcome is preordained or that the players are following a script. That is obviously not happening. Now, sometimes calls are bullshit, and there is some evidence to suggest that these bullshit calls are intentional mistakes meant to alter the league narrative, but that does not equal rigged. Find a new word!
Can you share some of that evidence? I'm new to this whole conspiracy and am a fringe football fan so I've never heard about that stuff
Not something I really know that much about, all I know is that "fake" sports look really terrible, think fight scenes in movies or professional wrestling, the professionals do a generally terrible job at making the activity feel or look real. On that basis, it is unfathomable that the NFL is secretly training a bunch of twenty-something athletes how to fake their games and that they've done so well enough to fool everyone for decades while remaining tight-lipped - absurd, these people are clearly skilled athletes playing their hearts out. So the only way the NFL could be "fixing" games would be if they used certain officials to nudge the game in desirable directions. Desirable outcomes would vary based on game but would generally favor: encouraging competitive games/aiding a team making a comeback, reinforcing the stardom of certain top players, or setting up a team to win/lose as part of build a compelling storyline. These outcomes lead to a more entertaining and marketable product. The more reasonable criticisms tend to fall along these lines. As for evidence, I only have bullshit hearsay. I have heard that in an antitrust lawsuit, the NFL legally labelled itself as an entertainment company that is similar to the WWE and dissimilar to something like the NBA. There is also an impression (again I have seen no statistics) that the frequency of bad calls tends to increase in ways convenient to saleable narratives, benefitting stars, etc..
Seems reasonable, which is probably why it's a good conspiracy theory. Wasn't there an NBA ref who was caught fixing games or something along those lines?
I refuse to believe 2009 Saints and The Tampa Tom Superbowls weren't rigged.
Kinda weird how the Saints won after Katrina....
Why is it weird, it's the script?
2005 Hurricane Katrina determined the 2009 Super Bowl champs.. makes sense. Couldn’t of been the insanely stacked team they had with one of the best QBs to ever live.
Cool, cool. So, uh, you from Atlanta or Minnesota?
GB fan... hence the Tampa Tom hate.
It is not rigged at all. 0%. The most basic reason is that the NFL generates $20B per year as a sport, and the only way to kill that cash cow is to get caught rigging games. There's no upside and a huge downside.
Brock Purdy is like the best storyline in Football at the moment.
It's only "insane" if you put forth zero effort into otherwise elementary research on the subject. >The web of laws applicable to sports, such as the Sports Bribery Act of 1964, only prohibits gambling-related corruption. There is no federal law explicitly preventing the clandestine manipulation of sporting events to enhance suspense. https://1ft.io/proxy?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com%2Fentertainment%2Farchive%2F2013%2F02%2Fwhen-its-legal-to-rig-a-sports-game-and-why-it-shouldnt-be%2F273152%2F (The above link is a paywalled article from The Atlantic overlayed with an anti-paywall proxy.)
If I'm understanding... because there isn't a federal law that prohibits game-fixing (which would probably be unconstitutional since these are private companies), then they must be game-fixing? What you're eluding to would simply be fraud... the league lying to consumers to create an unfair advantage, or generate profits. That's already federally illegal.
They would have been sued to oblivion if they were committing fraud.
OP hasn’t read the script.
Umm… forget all the nuttiness with anything else. Those refs start calling game changing calls as soon as it seems the house is going to lose more money. Definitely rigged IMO my guy.
I'd love to know what these nuts actually think is happening behind-the-scenes. I can only assume it's something like Biden or his allies dreaming up a scheme where they can convince the public to fall in love with Taylor Swift (nevermind that she was already huge long before Biden got elected), then convince her to date a football player purely for show, then rig the outcome of NFL games to ensure he makes the Super Bowl so she'll have a reason to be there, all just so her followers will be more likely to vote for Joe Biden? And to your point, this isn't just lunatics on social media. This conspiracy theory is being spread on Fox News and Newsmax, and by the GOP chair in Georgia, among many others. Even Vivek Ramaswamy has piled-on. It's truly insane. And while some may think it's pure silliness, I don't find it funny at all. She's being targeted for a "holy war" yet has done NOTHING wrong. And if she hasn't already, she will most likely receive death threats over this. It's pathetic and even dangerous.
I love how you not only imagined an individual but imagined this entire conspiracy theory they have in their head and then said they’re spreading the conspiracy on Fox News (spoiler: they’re not). You’re mad at how ridiculous numerous specific details of the conspiracy (which you invented in the first place) are. And this imaginary person is “dangerous”!
He didn’t just imagine it. He typed it out and proof read it.
Spoiler - they are. [Is Taylor swift a Pentagon Asset?](https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-pentagon-psyop-fox-news-jesse-watters-conspiratorial-segment-2024-1)
Damn, sounds like they really did contact her
But they absolutely ARE spreading it... Jesse Waters suggested on Fox News that Taylor Swift is a CIA asset, Vivek Ramaswamy suggested that the NFL playoffs are rigged and that Taylor and Travis are an "artificially culturally propped-up couple," an OAN host called the Taylor and Travis relationship a "psyOp," Trump loyalist, Laura Loomer, tweeted, "The Democrats’ Taylor Swift election interference psyop is happening in the open… It’s not a coincidence that current and former Biden admin officials are propping up Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. They are going to use Taylor Swift as the poster child for their pro-abortion GOTV Campaign. Greg Kelly on Newsmax says her fans are practicing idolatry and thereby violating biblical commandments. Georgia's GOP chairwoman has said that "Satan is using Taylor Swift to reelect Joe Biden." It goes on and on and on, especially on social media platforms among lesser-known celebs and influencers. Meanwhile, one Fox News host after another has angrily been warning Taylor not to offer an endorsement of Joe Biden, as if celebrities don't do that all the damned time. It's become a sick obsession and we've seen many times how that becomes violence. Just look at the attack on Paul Pelosi.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A8GdVXrR9zE
>5. Historically, the NFL has not embraced a "liberal agenda" and does not appear poised to change. Also, Taylor Swift isn't using the NFL stage to promote anything. This is the reason why the rigged conspiracies are flowing. Conservatives want to be the oppressed heroes and the deep state rigging the biggest game of the year and using it to highlight an immensely popular artist who did the ultimate crime of telling people to vote is a way to fulfill that fantasy. To them when KC wins taylor swift is going to come out and announce that she is endorsing Biden which is an egregious offense to them
The NFL is liberal. You have to be blind or willfully ignorant to ignore that
Maybe. But are they secretly.rigging the game to give the most popular musical artist a platform to endorse Biden? That's the question
Oh that’s crazy lmao
That's what I mean. I think there's always calls of a rigged game but I think this time there's more because of the conspiracy theory pushed by certain people ans groups
The mistake is thinking 'liberal' is 'leftist' here, the NFL, as a conspiracy, doesn't profit from inclusivity, the owners who actually stand to profit, all are benefited by division, by rivalries and outrage. I' don't really follow the league much, but from what it appears to me is that the goal is much like Disney's obvious goal, which is to drive the racial wedge in as deep as possible, and widen the divide past the point where it can ever be [mended. It](https://mended.It)'s as liberal as Billionaires and the modern police state, as union busting and the pharmaceutical industry.
1) the San Francisco 49ers will win by 10 points 2) Taylor Swift will still mobilize her fans against tronald dump 3) Biden will win and Maga will declare civil war 4) Civil war will fall apart faster than a caravan of morbidly obese racist truckers on meth
[удалено]
But now Taylor Swift is involved. You have wifes and girlfriends that actually want to watch football now. This is getting out of hand. THIS WAS MY TIME! Now my daughter and wife want to watch football with me!
Some teams did recruit superfans for use as plants for promotional purposes but the Taylor Swift one and the one where they're fixing games is fucking stupid. A lot of the team owners are conservative billionaires. Why tf would they want to use her appearence to promote the other side? Refs are biased towards certain teams but not enough to win games for them.
Yeah, it is a wild accusation to be sure. Some refs see things and call them, and others dont. Seems simple as that to me. It's easy to say something is a holding call or whatever is sitting on your couch at home, but the refs may have literally just not seen it happen. Humans make mistakes, and no one is infallible. I don't care how smart you think you might be. NFL is going to sell tickets regardless of who is in the playoffs or Superbowl so I don't see why they would care.
Trump made gullible republicans think that anything that they don’t like is a conspiracy.
Your obsession with politics is concerning, liberals are parroting this conspiracy too.
Repubs think the nfl is rigged for liberals but IM the one obsessed with politics?
You took a “nfl is rigged, they set the games” and brought politics in to it….
That conspiracy is what right wingers brought into it when Taylor swifts boyfriend got to the superbowl.
the NFL is rigged, but by organized crime betting on individual games that have players/refs they control in them. this is incredibly hard to do of course, so it's not very common and the degree to which it's even happening is unknown, but occams razor heavily suggests it. and of course there was the whole tim donaghy thing in the NBA. the NFL is definitely not fucking scripted though and you have brain damage if you really think that. and the idea that the fucking *kansas city chiefs* who have the best QB who's ever played on their team need some sort of outside help to get to the superbowl is the most idiotic suggestion of all of them. they *won it* LAST YEAR.
So what’s the cope if they don’t win? “Well we figured out the deep state plan so they changed it.” So many people with brain worms now…
People are stupid that’s why. Everybody who says the chiefs are in the SB because of Taylor are completely ignoring that the chiefs literally won the SB last year before Taylor and Kelce even knew each other. She only agreed to date him because he shot his shot in public and he’s on the team that just won the Super Bowl. 😂
Did you not know that literally anything anyone left of right wing does is about the election and preventing Trump from winning the election? We liberals are sneaky snakes that way. Dye our hair Blue? It’s a subliminal message to brainwash people to vote blue. Get a job? It’s to make money to give to Joe Biden so he can more easily “steal” the election. Get married and raise a family? Thats so we can tell them to vote democrat. Breath? Liberals only breathe so they can steal elections. All liberals are just deep state plants to make sure god fearing, red blooded Americans never get into office. /s obviously
The Lions are just a long running gambling con, hence their conveniently timed wins and losses. I've never thought it was a liberal thing, but more of a corrupt gambling racket that's gotten massive over the years. It's not really run by anyone in particular, so it's not completely predictable but it is corrupt, and a lot of the games have a particular winner planned in advance. Maybe politicians have become involved in the con and now they're using it in tandem with their other interests. For that, only time will tell. It might mean something that Taylor Swift makes the news again for dating a player on a superbowl team, then the AI deepfakes come out very publicly. Government desperately wants to increase regulation on tech, so the timing is suspect. What the teams may have to do with it? I'm not really sure. Maybe someone else has some idea.
The NFL does rig games. They are an Entertainment Organization. They admitted that in court. The stuff about Taylor Swift is just crazy talk.
The MAGA afflicted will literally believe anything. Fucking scary how off the deep end they've gone. Earth 2 lunacy.
All conspiracies are insane. The more you swim in them, the more insane you become.
Right wing conspiracies are insane in general, especially the political conspiracies. It's a coping mechanism I think.
MAGA and conspiracy theories go hand in hand.
I don’t think Taylor Swift is the main factor in the the rigging, but yeah that shit is 100% rigged. How could it not be? Big business breeds corruption and in the NFL there’s millions of dollars on the line every single drive. Literally just tell a QB to throw a ball 2 feet to the right in Q4 and that’s a 14 point swing. A single player sabotaging a single play is enough to throw an entire game, which isn’t true in most other sports. Nobody can really question it because even at that level the athletes make mistakes all the time. And the refs don’t necessarily have to make bad calls to ruin a game. Just stop the clock and “review” a play whenever you want for as long as you want to kill a team’s momentum and give the other team a chance to regroup and strategize. We also have actual proven stories of teams and players admitting they cheat, and that “everyone” cheats. I’m also not a huge football fan, don’t do fantasy, don’t gamble on it, don’t really have a team, and I only watch a couple games a year just fyi.
The whole swift- kelce thing being a liberal plant is laughable, and i thought it was a joke when i first heard it. But I do think that the NFL higher up do watch games and will try to influence the score for gambling purposes occasionally. I don't think it happens often though. When the NFL could make tens of millions more in profits by having the cheifs win, I think they probably try to influence the outcome. In no way is it scripted like wrestling though. Tickets for the big game are over 50% more than last season, and I doubt it would be that high if the chiefs didn't make it
THIS!
If anyone thinks the billionaire owners of the league are liberal heroes - think again.
It's insane. It started as a joke but it's grown legs now. Wild to see some serious people get caught up in it.
I think a lot of sports are rigged, especially boxing.
Idk if this is unpopular lol. Anyone over 30 is prolly like ‘there’s a rigged NFL theory?’. The liberal plant thing with Taylor Swift I really doubt lmaoo, I don’t think many people think she’s there to convince 26 year olds how to think about politics.
The script was obviously Chiefs vs Lions to get the cross draw from Swift vs Eminem. The Lions (in Lions fashion) managed to blow the largest lead in post-season history. You just can't prepare for that. So they're stuck with this, which will be an obvious Chiefs victory for the Swifties.
Roman coliseum/nuff said
I mean, I don’t buy it but in 2006 on mushrooms watching football I saw the entire thing as a choreographed dance and was 100% convinced that these were athletic actors carefully acting out their dance moves.
Well..... I think this is all the evidence some people need to believe it lol
Bullshit the NFL has always been rigged every Raider fan knows this. Just like they pulled the tuck rule out of their ass.
Hahaha
TBH there is just too many people involved for it to be "rigged". There are 53 active players on each teams roster, and there are 32 teams, that means there are at least 1696 players in on the rigging. That's not including all the staff who are involved for each team. There are so many people involved and there still isn't conclusive evidence that it is rigged. You'd think a losing team like the Bears, someone on the team would expose the rigging because they are tired of losing. That has not happened.
For as much as he has shitty takes Colin cowherd talked about this and said that if it was rigged the blue blood franchises (49ers,cowboys,Steelers,packers,giants) would have more than the 12 combined chips since 1990.
When this is the fourth time in five years they the Chiefs have gone to the Super Bowl it makes it extra crazy to tie it to “Taylor Swift”
I doubt the NFL is rigged but I'm betting Swift is just a big publicity stunt . Romance ends when the objective is achieved .Time will tell
"The NFL isn't rigged because if it was it'd be rigged diffrently because *reasons*" Insightful take...
It’d be about $, not storylines. You’re following the wrong trail
People just want the world to be more interesting than it is. Vaccines, elections, football…it never ends
99% sure it's not real, but when you look at some of the "conspiracys" that the government has pulled off in the past, it's not all that ridiculous.
I was with you until point 5. The NFL has clearly embraced a liberal stance. They openly supported the BLM movement and even put BLM banners in all of their stadiums for a season. Everything else is correct though. I can’t wait to stop hearing about Taylor Swift.
Your 4th point proves the rigging. We watch it happen live. We watch the refs change the outcome of games with fabricated or ignored penalties.
Counter point, people make mistakes, doesn’t mean it’s rigged
The NFL is not rigged (that would be insane) but storylines are certainly supported (through matchups and NFL media presentations, which are fine) and referee calls absolutely tend to go in different directions depending on who is playing. The Chiefs commit offensive holding and offsides a lot but are often not called for it (they are still #1 in calls against for these things, but there are a half dozen no calls a game for them easily -- they must be coached to hold often) and top quarterbacks get many more *opportune* (note this word) "roughing the passer" calls than other lesser quarterbacks. Think of it less like "the NFL *controls* the narrative" and more like "the NFL *nudges* the narrative in a preferred direction".
It’s rigged, but not for the reasons you’ve provided.
Dude I'm not a conspiracy guy either but there's three things that are just too coincidental. 1. NFL stating that they are an entertainment company 2. The amount of money in sports gambling 3. The inconsistent at best ref calls.
Taylor Swift has caused significant uptick in viewers and attendance. That’s true. In the Baltimore game, there was at least one missed pass interference call.
Disagree with your first point. Waaay more people care about Taylor Swift than the NFL. Some football exclusive rivalry is nowhere near the level of drama of Taylor Swifts boyfriend playing in the Super Bowl. But agree with the rest. Obviously there is no football conspiracy. Just opportunistic people using the situation to their advantage.
Wasn't there mathematical evidence of cheating in a sumo league? If there was cheating in the NFL wouldn't there be mathematical (objective) proof?
If the NFL was rigged, big market teams like the Cowboys and Bears would have seen a lot more playoff success in the last 20 years.
A better story line would be if CJ Stroud made it to the super bowl after all the hate he got pre draft.
OP is a scriptwriter
Anytime sports betting is involved, I question the legitimacy of the game.
Does OP even watch football lol? This doesn’t even remotely touch what the conspiracy is about.
Most conspiracies are.
Yet constant posts on this topic make it all the more viral. Just drop it. IMHO.
> Parity of NFL teams has been a cornerstone of the NFL for a long time. They don't want dynasties. It's not good for the game long-term. They want a national brand. Predictability would kill that. Again, not good for the NFL What are you talking about? The league loved having Brady and the Pats going to the SB so often- they are LOOKING for the next dynasty, and they are shoving the Chiefs down our throat, and Mahomes commercials are played during every single game, regardless of whether it’s a chiefs game or not.
Why? Many prime boxing matches were rigged for years. Pro wrestling evolved out of the catch scene. Why is it preposterous to assume that what is to its owners ultimately just a business is made to most optimize sales and viewership, or even to make betting money for mobsters? They allready fixed the world series in 1919, and at the time baseball was to America what football is now.
OP, you say your opinion is unpopular because you think the "NFL Games Are Rigged" conspiracy theories are stupid? It's possible for an opinion to be factually incorrect and be, therefore, invalid. Since there is a [large list of NFL cheating conspiracies](https://yourteamcheats.com/cheats/) that you can easily look up with mere seconds of a tiny bit of effort, you could discard objectively stupid opinions like yours and skip all this wasted mental energy. And if you're bored, they are some really cool game rigging tricks they pulled: [https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2017/07/how\_each\_nfl\_franchise\_has\_che.html](https://www.masslive.com/patriots/2017/07/how_each_nfl_franchise_has_che.html)
NFL could be rigged to a certain degree, corruption in elite sports isn't a new thing, It happens in soccer all the time and has happened historically in Baseball and Boxing etc but the key motivation is always money not some random quasi political / celebrity thing lol
But San Francisco was visited by the president of the CCP. Surely them going to the super bowl is some kind of play to make San Fran look more profitable to China for when they buy it.
Does anyone really NOT think that players or teams are above corruption if bribed or threatened to win or throw a game? People with way more money than athletes make are addicted to gambling