the fix is in

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(10-17-2016, 08:15 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: Many people will attack this post saying you wear a tin-foil hat, etc.  The truth of the matter is that everything isn't "scripted".  There is no great plan that says that Brady and Pig Ben have a line that get away with holding every time and they are looking for a flag to throw on every play against the smaller fan-base teams.  They aren't beholden to the mafia that there must be a certain margin of victory, point spread, etc.

However, if anyone believes there is not an absolute bias towards certain teams and it only takes a few extra calls leaning in one direction to influence the outcome of the game, you are just trying to ignore the evidence and pretend it is all real so your team has a fair shot.  The bias is real and a large part of the viewing audience is starting to get fed up.  

This year has been some of the worst I have ever seen.  And it isn't just the Bengals.  I remember watching the officiating of the Jags and Packers in week 1 with complete disbelief.  

They can only cater to certain fan bases and markets for so long before they lose all the rest of them.  They have been very arrogant and are starting to see the decline in viewership.  Here is something to ponder:  how much of the viewership they are getting is tied to fantasy or gambling?  How much is tuning in for the pure entertainment.  They had better improve their product, or they could see a significant decline if people ever tire of fantasy football.

(10-17-2016, 08:28 AM)Pat5775 Wrote: Yep! This is a league-wide problem folks. To hell with Kaepernick kneeling or not kneeling or whatever during the anthem. That's not the main reason folks are tuning out: it's the God-awful, replacement-ref-like officiating. It's happening all over the league and who can blame fans? It's borderline unwatchable. 

Now with that said, there is certainly a bias in favor of the "moneymaking teams". It's been obvious for years now. But if Seattle can rack up the jersey sales and popularity, so can we.

However, officiating is not out to make Cincinnati lose. If it were... How in the hell were we able to win in 2012, in Pittsburgh, with a playoff spot on the line for both teams, on the anniversary of the immaculate reception? Answer me that. If the league was truly hell bent on favoritism, there is NO WAY we win that game... But we did.

I will say this.....the same type of inconsistencies in officiating, rule interpretations, penalties, suspensions, etc....has driven race fans away in droves from NASCAR.  They favor the big money teams.

That said, shit like not punching it in from the inch line.....TWICE has a bigger bearing on what happened yesterday than anything.  Pitiful.  If you go out and throttle opponents, three or four bad calls don't effect the outcome, that simple.  We are just not very good this year.