Is football fake like wrasslin?

[SarahD]

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/26/sport/super-bowl-lviii-logo-theory-49ers-ravens-spt-intl/index.html
Apologies to those who believe professional wrestling is totally straight up. It seems there are those who think pro football is scripted, with the outcomes already decided. I don't think so, but there are point shaving scandals once in a while, and bigly money is involved with sports betting, so there is incentive.

[RandySF]

1. Football dad here.

It's not fake. That's not to say that there's never been rigged officiating or players not doing their best to on the NFL or NCAA levels.

[rsdsharp]

4. Rigged officiating has definitely happened.

&pp=ygUXaW93YSBib3dsIGdhbWUgYmFkIHJlZnM%3D

[RandomNumbers]

2. I doubt it is totally scripted

But at times I think there is a little tweaking going on for the gambling industry.

I never expect to actually know, though. But it's a handy theory for when the refs badly blow a call, for example.

[Sneederbunk]

3. Sometimes.

[Shermann]

5. Only fake when my team loses! (so pretty much always fake) nt

[Auggie]

6. Not today. Not the NFL.

There were accusations 50 years ago, but it would be difficult to get away with it repeatedly with today's replay rules, slow motion technology and multiple camera angles, plus the instant media distribution where tens of millions of fan reaction is instantaneous and sharable. College (especially small college) and high school? Your guess is as good as mine.

[True Dough]

9. And I have a hard time believing

that nobody would blow the whistle, pardon the pun. Would be hard to keep it under wraps for so long.

[Angleae]

7. Having it scripted, considering the number of people involved, is unrealistic. However...

The NFL can "nudge" games they want to go in a certain direction by means of refball all they want (and probably do). Whether to please the gambling meccas or, more likely, to please the networks who pay billions to broadcast NFL games.

[Chainfire]

8. If there is a way to cheat, it will be found. There is too much money at stake for it all to be honest.

Personally, I don't bet on sports, I don't watch sports and I don't really give a damn who cheats whom...

Professional wrestling, now that is another thing all together. You know that is real....

[Rebl2]

10. I don't like

the fact that gambling is allowed now on sports in general-college and professional games.