NationStates Jolt Archive

Boxing scandals (http://espn.go.com/boxing/news/2004/0109/1704287.html), Olympic scandals, World Cup mutterings...Stanley Cup mutterings...many people will swear that sports are all on the up and up, but others just laugh and say it's all fixed. What do you think?

I think with team sports, generally they aren't fixed but there will always be questionable referee's and such. You'll never end the questioning of the 'bad call'.

One on One sports such as boxing are always subject to someone 'taking the fall', and don't even get me started on events where an 'impartial' judge decides who wins.

My husband was arguing that the Stanley Cup was rigged after those first few games of the finals. I said, no way! And he just laughed...said if even the World Cup is rigged, why do I think the Stanley Cup is any different? He figures it would have to be the refs, because they can so turn a game...that the players themselves probably wouldn't be in on it...oh, and he also tarred the coaches because they can create some terrible plays to load the game. It just made me think...the suspicion alone takes some of the joy out of it...the certainty is even worse. I know this is huge money, the motivation is clear...but it really bothers me...what's the point of even trying if the games are rigged? And I'm talking all sports, not just hockey...I just don't get it.

A co-worker and I were discussing the Stanley Cup yesterday. I said I thought it was 'fixed', and by that I meant not that the outcome was necessarily pre-determined, but that the prolongation of games to sudden-death overtime, and of playoff series invariably going to a full best-of-seven were thoroughly pre-determined. Which after a time starts making you wonder about the games themselves, but I'm not going there.

How often do NHL games run into overtime during regular season play? Now how often does it happen in the playoffs?

The fix is in - and it's designed to sell advertising spots.

I remember when the NHL was expanding there was a big furor over a seeming attempt by the NHL to prevent a Canadian team from winning the Stanley Cup. There were some highly questionable calls, and everyone knew that if 2 Canadian teams went at it in the finals, the US would tune out, killing their expansion plans.

One also has to look at the gambling aspect, espescially when it comes to sports like boxing. Money's a big talker.

And lastly, national pride plays a huge factor, as we've seen with some of the Olympic scandals.

Even with the potential for scandal, the huge public appetite for sport will keep the wheels spinning, 'greasy wheel's' or not. Not much that can be done about it other than to keep turning up the scandals when they're discovered and keep the kids playin' clean games!

Well at least pro wrestling maintains a high ethical standard.

A co-worker and I were discussing the Stanley Cup yesterday. I said I thought it was 'fixed', and by that I meant not that the outcome was necessarily pre-determined, but that the prolongation of games to sudden-death overtime, and of playoff series invariably going to a full best-of-seven were thoroughly pre-determined. Which after a time starts making you wonder about the games themselves, but I'm not going there.

How often do NHL games run into overtime during regular season play? Now how often does it happen in the playoffs?

The fix is in - and it's designed to sell advertising spots.
Well, every game they go to means huge money for both teams, that's for sure. The Oilers, even with this loss, are going to be sitting pretty, financially speaking, for some time. It seemed at the beginning that Carolina was just outplaying the Oilers, and then they suddenly sucked? Drew it out more, right. I don't know, I just don't...

Well at least pro wrestling maintains a high ethical standard.
Yeah, they come right out and tell you that the matches are fixed, so there are no illusions. I'd prefer that, actually.

I remember when the NHL was expanding there was a big furor over a seeming attempt by the NHL to prevent a Canadian team from winning the Stanley Cup. There were some highly questionable calls, and everyone knew that if 2 Canadian teams went at it in the finals, the US would tune out, killing their expansion plans.

One also has to look at the gambling aspect, espescially when it comes to sports like boxing. Money's a big talker.

And lastly, national pride plays a huge factor, as we've seen with some of the Olympic scandals.

Even with the potential for scandal, the huge public appetite for sport will keep the wheels spinning, 'greasy wheel's' or not. Not much that can be done about it other than to keep turning up the scandals when they're discovered and keep the kids playin' clean games!Well look at the World Cup too...it would get too boring if Brazil kept winning the cup over and over...and I truly believe that the France cup was fixed...no way can Brazil play that badly unless it's intentional.

These things are tied up in too much money, legal and illegal, for them to be free of cheating. That is really, really sad...

Not just sports, I think everything in life is fixed.

Yeah, they come right out and tell you that the matches are fixed, so there are no illusions. I'd prefer that, actually.


the only true sport left in the world.

Not just sports, I think everything in life is fixed.

Tell that to my mechanic. (grumble, grumble...)

I think with team sports, generally they aren't fixed but there will always be questionable referee's and such. You'll never end the questioning of the 'bad call'.Like after Super Bowl XL.

I like sports, but I find that it's better to play a sport I like than to watch it.

Watching is incredibly boring.

Well look at the World Cup too...it would get too boring if Brazil kept winning the cup over and over...and I truly believe that the France cup was fixed...no way can Brazil play that badly unless it's intentional.

These things are tied up in too much money, legal and illegal, for them to be free of cheating. That is really, really sad...

There is absolutely no way that the Brazilian team would throw a world cup final. Winning the world cup is worth more to the players involved than anything. They already earn more money than they know what to do with, and no Brazilian footballer would consider themselves to be good unless they were part of a winning World Cup team.

It makes as much sense as suggesting the Fred Phelps could be suborned into making a gay porn video. None whatsoever. The desire to win the World Cup is as irrational and obsessive as that.

The referee could be influenced, but in the 98 final there wasn't even a hint of this.