[ByeShea]

The Lions self destructed.

Lions should rebuild. Seriously. On paper they were as good as anyone, started good, then by end of season about the worst team in the league. There's a cancer in the locker room - maybe it's Suh - but if Jim Caldwell doesn't make radical changes they will continue to disappoint.

[RonPaul2008]

Please elaborate or site a source

The NFL possesses an Anti-Trust Exemption to the law granted to it by President John F. Kennedy, which ultimately allows the NFL to classify itself as "entertainment" rather than sport, as well as incorporate itself as a single entity instead of the 32 separate "franchises" they would want you to believe. Contrary to the perception of the NFL being 32 separate franchises battling it out for gridiron supremacy. In a franchised environment, such as McDonalds (Business 101), each franchise is individually owned and operated and can participate in national promotions, have its own local promotions, or abstain from participating (hence the fine print in commercials saying "at participating locations".

This keeps the regionality of competition in tact without having to compete on a national level. MLB has this status, the NFL does not. Instead, since the NFL has this Anti-Trust exemption, it is able to package its teams in order to sell to national television companies, which today totals $6 Billion in revenue for the league. That is 75% of the leagues total annual revenue. In a 2004 lawsuit vs the NFL, the NFL attorney Gregg H. Levy argued that "the NFL is not a collection of 32 individual teams, but rather a single entity. And as long as the NFL teams are a unit, and they compete as a unit in the entertainment marketplace, then they should be deemed a single unit and not subject to any Anti-Trust laws."

There is only another "sports" organization that I can think of that follows this, the WWE. Levy also argued that the league markets its products and merchandise as a whole to promote the NFL as a whole. These arguments led all the way to lockout during the 2011 offseason. The league would still earn $5 Billion in revenue, even without a single game being played.

Professional sports is the only industry without ANY federal oversight. Therefore the league can do and go as they see fit, this is something the players were concerned about going into the lockout, the NFL players themselves sought help from US Congress asking for oversight of the NFL. And NFL players wanted an explanation as to why the NFL owners were granted an Anti-Trust exemption in the first place. They didn't get it.

The NFL proved in this lawsuit that they see themselves as a single unit in the "entertainment" industry and the unique league revenue sharing strategy is not common amongst professional sports leagues.

[Justin3587]

I wonder if all sports betting forum members carry the same mentality as the winners on this site?

[Justin3587]

Lions should rebuild. Seriously. On paper they were as good as anyone, started good, then by end of season about the worst team in the league. There's a cancer in the locker room - maybe it's Suh - but if Jim Caldwell doesn't make radical changes they will continue to disappoint.

I agree, but I think it starts with Stafford. I think he's merely mediocre at best.

[smitch124]

While in Seattle this summer, a few locals were still mad about the phantom holding call on Locklear in superbowl XL against the Steelers.....EIGHT years ago.

Not sure if the anger over bad calls has a shelf life for some.

Well not bad calls but still steamed over 2002 World Series where the Giants blew a 5-0 lead in game 6, and the Giants have won 2 World Series since then.

Don't even get me started about Roger Craig's fumble against the Giants in 1990

[Barnes & Whine]

The NFL is fixed. It's not even considered a sport by law, it's entertainment and the league can steer it any way they wish without any legal consequences.

The botched snap at the beginning of the Superbowl says it all. That play has been practiced so many times it is secondary nature to the players, there is no way in hell that they screw up that snap on accident.

[smitch124]

Heck I wasn't even alive for this and it still bothers me

[RonPaul2008]

The botched snap at the beginning of the Superbowl says it all. That play has been practiced so many times it is secondary nature to the players, there is no way in hell that they screw up that snap on accident.

I don't think the players (in general) fix the games. I think the refs do.

[Barnes & Whine]

I don't think the players (in general) fix the games. I think the refs do.

Different means to the same end then.

[nyplayer33]

this is why i dont get caught up in the mix of sports

[matt1216]

I feel like this season was such a failure. I truly don't think the Seahawks are as good as they lead on. I think the SB was served up to them by an abundance of god awful calls against San Francisco and everyone knew Peyton would shit the bed. Come on man.

are u serious? Your an idiot

[matt1216]

I wonder if all sports betting forum members carry the same mentality as the winners on this site?

So what happened when the refs screwed Seattle in 2006, against the steelers??

[Barnes & Whine]

are u serious? Your an idiot

Are u serious? YOUR an idiot.

[5mike5]

games fixed, players did it, refs fixed, commish did it, ect ect

all excuses by SBR posters because they LOSE

same with every sport, guess it makes losing gamblers and bets they make on certain games/leagues feel better...its sad really....

take ur losses like men boys