Poll: Is the NFL steering games

[Flyingsquad23]

So you believe the NFL wants all the teams to be competitive yet you don’t believe they would use officials to help them reach that goal? Seems naive

So the NFL must just hate the Browns, Chargers and Jets.

Can you imagine owning those teams knowing the NFL is going to conspire against you.

 

[AROS]

Don't worry, maybe some day you'll accept the reality of the world outside your mother's womb

Knock it off.

 

[PhxPhin]

I wouldn't jump to steering, but I've definitely seen officiating get lopsided, biased, maybe a bit emotional

I've also seen a lot of terrible officiating - a lot in games where the wouldn't be a point to steer

I think human nature and general incompetence explains most

 

[fenderbender123]

I was just talking to my girl about this. She asked me the same question.

100% yes, the NFL is steering games. Now, I don't suggest every ref "is in on it", nor the players or coaches. However, after watching the NFL now for what, (dating myself here) 47 years now, I can honestly answer yes.

I have researched the UFO/UAP phenomenon for 35 years. When people ask me if the government is hiding the truth about UFOs I say yes, but it's the same thing with the NFL. That doesn't mean every employee or official is aware of what's going on. Hardly. In fact, it is so compartmentalized that usually not one person knows the truth of what's going on. That's on purpose. Not even the president of the United States knows exactly what is going on.

Now before you adorn me with a tin foil hat, you have to consider how much money is involved with this league. There is no way in Hell you can convince me there's zero steering in the NFL. That ship has long left the port. As Seahawks fans, all I have to say is "Super Bowl 40" and you feel me.

Even the late Bill Leavy, head ref of SB40* admitted he lost sleep over the calls in that game. Unprecedented.

So yes Anastasia, steering is a real thing. Nobody, and I mean nobody, will ever convince me otherwise.

If we're comparing NFL steering to aliens, then I'd say that's further proof that steering doesn't exist...

Of course, that's the split right there. We're at a point where we as fans don't have actual proof that steering exists, yet there is plenty of circumstantial evidence, enough to convince some people that it does exist.

I'm not here to say it doesn't, just that I'm in the camp of "i need concrete proof" before I pass judgment. Same with aliens and UFOs and all that, which believe it or not I have always been highly interested in, even if I'm still a skeptic.

I just think the NFL would be running WAY too much risk trying to steer games. If anything is happening, it's with individual referees. If we want to implement rules and stuff that help mitigate the incentive refs would have, whether that's with increased transparency into their personal lives, or whatever, then I'm all for it. Anything to help protect the integrity of the game.

The idea of having watched a sport for this many decades only to find out it's been rigged this whole time would be a bit much for me to process. It would literally be the biggest scam in human history.

 

[irfuben32]

No. And to think this is ridiculous.

It's in the interest of the NFL for every team to win a Super Bowl. Not specic teams.

There is a reason why the salary cap and profit sharing exist. It's to level the playing field so that every fan base feels they have a shot at the Lombardi.

If the Arizona Cardinals started winning Lombardis then you wouldn't see so many opposing team jerseys in the stadium on Sunday.

32 winning franchises means more for the NFL.

Why do you think the NFL is trying to expand to Europe? .

You don't think the league wanted the Rams to win a SB?

 

[kidhawk]

So the NFL must just hate the Browns, Chargers and Jets.

Can you imagine owning those teams knowing the NFL is going to conspire against you.

What are you talking about? Did you read this whole thread? I’ve said before and apparently it needs repeating. I don’t believe games are being steered to give a team an advantage (unless there’s individual officials with gambling issues or on the take which would not be the norm). What I’m saying is they want competitive games and officials often steer them in that direction.

 

[cymatica]

There you go, such sharp wit to go with all your bigly smarts.

Only you see the truth…

only a real one brings another persons mother into a discussion.

Only someone obsessed with an orange Boogeyman projects him onto people you don't agree with. Really just shows the level at which your brain operates.

And no, I'm not the only one who sees the truth. That's really just a pathetic strawman attempt. Look at the poll results, there's a lot more people who see what I see

 

[cymatica]

Knock it off.

He's been coming at me in multiple threads unprovoked, I'm just dishing it back

 

[AROS]

Okay, both of you knock it off or I will pull this car over.

 

[warden]

Even the Cowboys complained about the officiating

 

[warden]

Controversy sells. The league is so arrogant that they don’t even care if it is obvious anymore. They are in the entertainment business not the sport business

 

[warden]

So the NFL must just hate the Browns, Chargers and Jets.

Can you imagine owning those teams knowing the NFL is going to conspire against you.

But league revenue sharing, these greedy billionaires have no morals if they believe they are making more money

 

[warden]

Rewatch Super Bowl XL and the try to tell me the league didn’t steer that game

 

[AROS]

Are you telling me I can’t use the best words…

And yeah, if you can post your incessantly negative thoughts I’m within my rights to post a counter.

Everything is fake… well except the middle finger you flipped me yesterday was real…lulz

Got your shit deleted…

Stop. Take it to PMs if you have an issue.

 

[Cyrus12]

So the NFL must just hate the Browns, Chargers and Jets.

Can you imagine owning those teams knowing the NFL is going to conspire against you.

Small market fodder...Jets and Chargers are the unwanted step child of those cities. Those owners are still making millions.

 

[snackdaddy]

Team loses close game. Its the ref's fault. Team wins close game, they earned it. Life as an NFL fan.

 

[cymatica]

Team loses close game. Its the ref's fault. Team wins close game, they earned it. Life as an NFL fan.

I guarantee if it was just a call here or there, people wouldn't be all over the refs, especially the way that defense played. This was beyond just bad officiating, it was up there with one of the worst officiated games in memory.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Not illegal to fix games? It’s 100% illegal.

The NFL is legally classified as sport entertainment, not a sport. They can script outcomes like WWE wrestling.

 

[fenderbender123]

The NFL is legally classified as sport entertainment, not a sport. They can script outcomes like WWE wrestling.

But if the NFL's stance, policy, whatever states that the games are not scripted/steered, wouldn't they be opening themselves up to a massive class-action lawsuit if they got caught?

 

[RolandDeschain]

But if the NFL's stance, policy, whatever states that the games are not scripted/steered, wouldn't they be opening themselves up to a massive class-action lawsuit if they got caught?

I'm not going to pretend to know the actual legal culpability on this, I'm not an attorney. Suing an organization as rich as the NFL would be a massive undertaking to have any sort of chance of winning with regardless, though; and the "slight nudging" style of influence that they seem to utilize would be very difficult to prove. Think of it like watching mafia films or The Sopranos. You don't say "go whack Jimmy", you say stuff like "I'm displeased with Jimmy, and I don't think he provides much value to us anymore." The NFL is not gonna say make sure Dallas wins, they're going to whisper behind closed doors that America really deserves to see excellence out of America's Team this week, and the officials upon hearing something like that will be like: