[Bette]

My husband and I were discussing the latest football scandal and cheating in pro sports. (He is one of those people who insist the powers that be know who is going to win the Super Bowl before the season starts. But that is neither here or there. ) He is a wrestling fan and he grudgingly agrees that the matches are probably predetermined. He says sports are just business. I agree sports are business. He says you wont find any real sports until you get down to the high school or college level where they play for the love of the sport as opposed to the money.
I have seen titles of threads in the Nascar forum with the words rigged or conspiracy in them. We know about roids in baseball. What about other pro sports? Is this an issue all the way across the board? Just how widespread is this?

[Lefty Noob]

Well, let's see...

We have a betting scandle in the NBA.
We have had numerous college sports scandals, from grade fixing to athletes getting paid to point shaving and beyond.
We have an NFL coach who just got caught illegally taping opposing coaches.
We've got steroids and HGH in all sports, but mostly baseball.
We've got unproven accusations of phantom debris and a team allegedly sabotaging one of their own drivers.
That's not even counting things in the past, including Olympic judging scandals and whatnot.

So as you can see, it's sometimes hard to think that honest and morality are too prevelant in sports at all. But some of these are wild, outlandish accusations. Some are isolated incidents. Some are problems of the past that the sports are trying to made amends for. So I don't think it's as bad as it seems. I just think we hear more about the negative stuff, you know?

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by Bette

My husband and I were discussing the latest football scandal and cheating in pro sports. (He is one of those people who insist the powers that be know who is going to win the Super Bowl before the season starts. But that is neither here or there. ) He is a wrestling fan and he grudgingly agrees that the matches are probably predetermined. He says sports are just business. I agree sports are business. He says you wont find any real sports until you get down to the high school or college level where they play for the love of the sport as opposed to the money.
I have seen titles of threads in the Nascar forum with the words rigged or conspiracy in them. We know about roids in baseball. What about other pro sports? Is this an issue all the way across the board? Just how widespread is this?

lol...get him to post...we would like to hear wild conspiracy theories...

[Bette]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

lol...get him to post...we would like to hear wild conspiracy theories...

He says they do it to spread the wealth around. Otherwise people wont pay to go to the games and buy merchandise.
I want him to tell me so I can make a killing on the Super Bowl but he says he doesnt know that.

[EmpireWF]

So bette, how does he explain the Patriots recent run? And the Jets haven't won one since the 60s.

[Lefty Noob]

Add this to the discussion: http://www.goteamsgo.com/forum/nasca...yle-100-a.html

An F-1 team just got fined $100 million and stripped of all their manufacturer points for using top-secret documents belonging to (and hence, somehow stolen from) a rival organization. Now THAT'S how you punish your cheaters!

[Bette]

Originally Posted by EmpireWF

So bette, how does he explain the Patriots recent run? And the Jets haven't won one since the 60s.

Actually, with the cheating thing, I think I led it too far away from what he was originally saying and that there isnt such a thing as sports, its all business. I said define sports and he said you would probably have to go down to the college or high school level. He is saying is it a sport or is it just a business. His theory says it isnt necessarily the best team that wins the Super Bowl. Its money that determines the win.
I did try to pin him down on the Pats and other teams like Lions and Jets; he gave me some answer and I said that didnt answer the question. Then he tried to close the argument the same way he always does and mumbled something under his breath, "I cant explain it to someone like you" His next response was what is so funny. I may never win an argument with you guys but I do get the best of him once in a while.
Dont anyone get riled up. Its just his theory.

[azrael492]

If he his going by that theory, then there may not be any sports left in america. College teams are constantly getting in trouble for grade fixing, or paying for players. There is a high school around here that is rumored to be recruiting players to move to there district. I forget the kids name, but didn't a head coach lie about a kids age a few years ago in the little league world series?? If you ask me, all sports have turned into big business.

[legend]

What nobody has brought up about this latest scandal is that the popularity of the NFL lies in GAMBLING ON THE OUTCOME OF THE GAMES, whether in an office pool or with your bookie. If people think the games arent on the up and up, the popularity of the sport will begin to fade. That's why this is such a huge deal.