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Is the NFL scripted?

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After the Superbowl last night, I started talking about thoughts on the game with a group of friends. During the conversation we were having it was mentioned that the NFL might be scripted. I pondered the idea briefly last night, but didn't really look into evidence for and against the suggestion. I wanted to write a thread last night too, but it was getting late for me. I'm finally getting around to it today.

To begin, my stance, without researching anything, was that it isn't a scripted sport. After looking a bit more into it my opinion hasn't been changed at all. Most of the stuff I'm seeing about the NFL being rigged is from obscure internet forums, much like this one, coming from random conspiracy theorists.

https://www.covers.com/forum/ViewThread/102663609/nfl-is-scripted-want-proof
https://forums.denverbroncos.com/sh...he-NFL-an-Entertainment-Business-like-the-WWE

https://www.muthead.com/forums/off-topic/sports-discussion/348385-the-nfl-is-as-fake-as-wrestling

A link to an internet article was pointed out to me about an NFL entertainment lawyer who came forward and admitted the Superbowl is scripted. The article claims he was found shot dead in New York.

https://prepareforchange.net/2018/02/01/nfl-lawyer-claimed-super-bowl-rigged-found-dead/

Today I looked a bit around that website and I personally can't take it seriously. Anyway, with the research I did today, I'd say it's fake news (which was what I suspected yesterday night anyway). This piece was copied from an article written on a different fake news website only days earlier from when it was originally posted. The article below gives the insight.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/nfl-lawyer-dead/

Overall, so far, there is nothing I'm seeing that can reasonably sway me to believe the NFL is actually scripted. That said, it doesn't surprise me that people do wonder if it is rigged. For example, throughout the season certain storylines almost seem to unfold. And then those storylines get hyped up in order to generate excitement for the games. The thing is, those storylines happen naturally, only afterwards do we see marketing campaigns start to build up hype around those scenarios that occur. The NFL has entire staff teams organized to hype up what would otherwise just be any old game, because that is how more views can potentially be generated.

Consider this hypothetical scenario momentarily. The Chicago Bears are going to be playing the Minnesota Vikings. If someone isn't a fan of either team, without hype they'll more than likely not watch that game because there is no reason to. But with hype, the scenario actually becomes a bit interesting. Let's say the Bears haven't beat the Vikings in over a decade, and this year the Bears are doing very well, and are top picks to make the playoffs. A story is there, and if capitalized on, people who otherwise wouldn't be watching that game might actually watch it because of that hype.

Let's move on to look at yesterday's Super Bowl game. If you're looking to really make a captivating story to bring in a large audience, having the Patriots in the Superbowl again would not have been the best course of action, in my opinion. Many Americans are tired of seeing the Patriots in the Superbowl, having them in it if the seasons really are rigged isn't appealing to the majority. So from a marketing standpoint, as well as a financial one, it isn't the best outcome for the NFL.

In my experience casually keeping up with sports, a lot of times unexpected things happen. The highly favored teams of certain seasons don't always go all the way and win. The teams that shouldn't be doing well from a marketing standpoint against all odds can end up doing well.

The New Orleans Saints are a good example. For a very long time they sucked, from a marketing standpoint they had nothing going for them. Then all of a sudden in 2009 they win a Superbowl. One can say that Hurricane Katrina gained the city recognition, and that would be a good reason to have the Saints win a Superbowl despite having no relevance as a team prior. My issue with that logic, it would have been a bigger deal if it happened closer to 2005, not 5 years later. The Saints made the playoffs in 2006, scripting them to go all the way and winning the Superbowl back then would have been more impactful.

In 2006 the Superbowl was played by the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers were a really good team back then, and they won the Superbowl that year. The Seahawks had never won a Superbowl at that time, and the franchise didn't win one until another 8 years later... Why build up a team into a spot like that and then cast them aside for 8 years?

Back onto the topic of the Saints though. It isn't coincidental that they won the Superbowl in 2009. In 2005 the Saint's head coach Jim Haslett was fired. Sean Peyton replaced him as Head Coach of the team the following year, and he is still the Head Coach of the team presently. The same year, Drew Brees signed on to join the Saints. By 2009, they've made some secondary changes, they have a talented QB, experienced players, and the team has chemistry. Suddenly, they go on to win the Superbowl.

At first glance a team out of the blue doing well throughout a season can easily seem rigged, but a closer look and you can see actual things happened within the team that is what really accounts for why they did so well for that season or for a run of seasons. This is compounded by the fact that once that group of players disbands, or certain coaching staff moves on, the chemistry is lost. The franchise doesn't always pick up players or coaches that are quite as skilled as the ones that left. That is why certain franchises have eras were they do really well, but then eras where they just kind of do nothing notable.

In any case, I'm highly skeptical that the NFL is scripted. The other sports that I keep up with are MLB Baseball, NCAA Basketball, and NHL Hockey. (I have nothing against the NBA, it's just that the Bulls aren't doing well enough to gain my attention.) I feel like if the NFL was scripted, than by extension so would those other leagues devoted to their respective sports—because the same marketing tactics to hype up games are used with them too, and that’s something I wouldn’t believe either because that makes it a much larger conspiracy with nothing much going for it at all.
 
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