I have read a few people's arguments today about games being rigged in different sports. So in order to keep people's threads from being clogged, I'll start this one to give my 2 cents and let everybody else take it from there.
I'd love to hear everybody's opinion, espcecially after some questionable calls in the Celtics/Knicks game.
MY opinion is that there are games rigged in every sport all the time. Not ALL games by any means, but there are definitely some rigged games. The Celtics game tonight sure seemed like there were a lot of calls going in New Yorks favor, but maybe that was just me. But it sure is funny that NY covered
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Here's the thing: money & power = corruption. Simple as that. It happens in our government, the business world, really virtually every thing in our lives is political & corrupt and is a way for certain people to make money. So why would sports be any different?
If it happened 90 years ago (the black sox), then why wouldn't it be happening now? The gambling industry is only about a million times bigger now than it was 90 years ago, which means there are more powerful people with money that want to make even more money. Tim Donaghy was obviously guilty, he has admitted to it. So are we really going to be that naive to believe he was COMPLETELY alone in doing it?
Some people argue why would somebody that makes $250,000 a year take $10,000 to fix a game? At the risk of getting caught and losing their job over something that is only a small portion of their salary. Hell I don't know. Why would a cop that makes $40,000 a year take a $100 bribe from somebody instead of writing them a speeding ticket? That is also big risk/small reward. But that certainly happens. Maybe some people just enjoy being corrupt; maybe they like control; who knows what makes certain people tick. But it happens.
I am NOT a conspiracy theorist by any means. I'm just a realist that knows what a corrupt world we live in. I have never blamed one of my lost bets on a game being fixed. Like somebody else said today, "its still just a two sided coin".
And i also realize that crazy things happen in sports that lead to a game covering or not (see last thursday's colts/titans game). In no way do I believe a game like that was fixed. The titans just drove down the field and managed to score a late TD to make it respectable. Something that crazy where they score a TD on the last play of the game is not a fix, because there are way too many variables for something like that to happen.
I will leave you with this - One of my close friends is a college referee and he has told me plenty of times that he has heard stories from fellow people in his industry about NBA games being rigged. I am certainly not going into any detail about anything like that, and if you don't believe it thats fine too.
But my opinion is that its true. Lets hear yours.
I'd love to hear everybody's opinion, espcecially after some questionable calls in the Celtics/Knicks game.
MY opinion is that there are games rigged in every sport all the time. Not ALL games by any means, but there are definitely some rigged games. The Celtics game tonight sure seemed like there were a lot of calls going in New Yorks favor, but maybe that was just me. But it sure is funny that NY covered
.Here's the thing: money & power = corruption. Simple as that. It happens in our government, the business world, really virtually every thing in our lives is political & corrupt and is a way for certain people to make money. So why would sports be any different?
If it happened 90 years ago (the black sox), then why wouldn't it be happening now? The gambling industry is only about a million times bigger now than it was 90 years ago, which means there are more powerful people with money that want to make even more money. Tim Donaghy was obviously guilty, he has admitted to it. So are we really going to be that naive to believe he was COMPLETELY alone in doing it?
Some people argue why would somebody that makes $250,000 a year take $10,000 to fix a game? At the risk of getting caught and losing their job over something that is only a small portion of their salary. Hell I don't know. Why would a cop that makes $40,000 a year take a $100 bribe from somebody instead of writing them a speeding ticket? That is also big risk/small reward. But that certainly happens. Maybe some people just enjoy being corrupt; maybe they like control; who knows what makes certain people tick. But it happens.
I am NOT a conspiracy theorist by any means. I'm just a realist that knows what a corrupt world we live in. I have never blamed one of my lost bets on a game being fixed. Like somebody else said today, "its still just a two sided coin".
And i also realize that crazy things happen in sports that lead to a game covering or not (see last thursday's colts/titans game). In no way do I believe a game like that was fixed. The titans just drove down the field and managed to score a late TD to make it respectable. Something that crazy where they score a TD on the last play of the game is not a fix, because there are way too many variables for something like that to happen.
I will leave you with this - One of my close friends is a college referee and he has told me plenty of times that he has heard stories from fellow people in his industry about NBA games being rigged. I am certainly not going into any detail about anything like that, and if you don't believe it thats fine too.
But my opinion is that its true. Lets hear yours.
