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Week 12 Discussion: Thanksgiving Edition (Mac & Cheese Survey!)

Does Mac & Cheese belong on the Thanksgiving Dinner Table?

  • Yes, Judon is wrong and that's the reason we let him go

    Votes: 8 100.0%
  • No, Judon is absolutley right!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    8

JO_75

Hall of Famer
People want to say it's a conspiracy that the refs are betting on the games or the league is fixing games but clearly it's being done for entertainment purposes. "Let's give Cleveland a score to make the game seem closer for TV" or call a holding penalty when we are driving down the field and they aren't stopping us so Cleveland has a shot so we can stage a potential comeback. That is obviously down here but I'm more so talking about our game.
 

JO_75

Hall of Famer
Russell Wilson picked up in the end zone... where have I seen that before lol. Wilson trying to convince the ref there was PI to cover up for his terrible throw.

Edit: Wow, they recovered the onside kick and the refs with a flag for illegal formation long after the player ended. Either call it immediately or keep the flag in the pocket. Two primetime games in a row where ref ball has been on display to the whole world.
 

rmcjacket23

Ravens Ring of Honor
People want to say it's a conspiracy that the refs are betting on the games or the league is fixing games but clearly it's being done for entertainment purposes. "Let's give Cleveland a score to make the game seem closer for TV" or call a holding penalty when we are driving down the field and they aren't stopping us so Cleveland has a shot so we can stage a potential comeback. That is obviously down here but I'm more so talking about our game.
I think people who think the league is "fixing" games or that officials are betting on games to drive outcomes are incredibly fucking stupid and haven't yet come up with a logical argument for any of it.
For starters, the league doesn't give a shit who wins or loses games. The ratings are great across the board, and there's really no motivation whatsoever to make sure that the best markets play in the SB or whatever. The Cowboys are the team the league would be salivating over to see them make a deep run in the playoffs, and they've been irrelevant in the NFL for literally 25 years. So if they're all of the sudden "fixing" games to get outcomes they want, then they really, really, really suck at fixing games, because they're failing at it. There's big market teams that make SBs. There's small market teams that make SBs. There's no consistency with any of it.

As for officials betting on games and driving outcomes, I highly doubt it. Sounds dumb to say, but there's not enough money in it. These guys are already making six or seven figures for part time work, have other normal jobs that many pay very well (lawyers) and they officiate other sports frequently also. They're not risking those jobs for a $10K bet at a sportsbook on an outcome. If you think they're betting millions or even six figures on games, they're not, because every legal Sportsbook in America knows exactly who the people are that are betting that kind of money, and they'd be extremely happy to turn them over or not accept their wagers. Sportsbooks routinely decline to take large wagers from people they don't know, or people who don't routinely bet those amounts. Happens all the time. Just not publicized.

Bottom line... none of these group is risking big $ for small money. The NFL makes billions and billions every year, regardless of who wins or loses. Dallas making the SB over Jacksonville is going to result in millions more, which sounds like a lot right? Except the risk is far greater than the reward, because if they ever get "caught" fixing games, its game over. They'll lose half their viewership overnight.

Same thing for the players. You know why I'm not concerned about Pro Athletes fixing games in major sports in this country? Because they make too much money. You think LeBron James, who makes like $50M a year, is going to point shave for an extra $100K? Sure, he'll point shave for $200M, but who has $200M to pay LeBron to point shave and what entity is taking a wager in that realm on a random Tuesday night game so that the person paying him can be profitable? Answer... nobody.

People like to create conspiracy theories because they see things they don't understand. When you see something you don't understand, your default reaction is "well something must be wrong". No. It means human beings are likely just being human beings. They're making mistakes. They're not executing at the same level every time. Officials are missing calls. Players are making bad plays they don't ordinarily make. That's called being a person.
 
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