The nfl,refs, and #1 seed in the afc

[Whatever]

(10-19-2018, 10:13 AM)muskiesfan Wrote: I just don't buy into it. If this really were the case, the Browns would always be better than they are. No matter where I live in the country, I always run into Browns fans. Plus, they always sell out their game regardless of record. They have serious dedicated and die hard fans. I know we all have stories or know the stories of asshole Browns fans, but they always support their team. So you would think if everything was rigged that the NFL would want to reward a supportive fan base that spends a lot of money with the league.

Has anyone seen the NFL Shop commercial where the dad is wearing Browns gear and tells his daughter who's wearing Steelers gear that she can't leave the house dressed like that? I have no doubt that the Browns outsell the Bengals and probably by a large margin. So the Browns hit the checkmark for money. Cleveland is also the 17th largest TV market in the country (Cincinnati is 34th). So they hit the checkmark there (at least over us). Cleveland has to debunk this theory because they generate revenue and aren't exactly a small TV market. We all know Pittburgh has more bandwagon fans than every team except New England, but Pittsburgh is a smaller TV market than Cleveland.

I don't feel that many games are out right rigged.  There is only so much the refs can do to help one team or screw another before it becomes obvious.  The '05 SB comes to mind as a rare game that was out right fixed.

However, the reality is that in close games, it's a lot like boxing.  The champ is going to get the benefit of the the doubt on the score cards.  Similarly, last Sunday, the "champ" got the benefit of the doubt.  The game came down to hinging on whether the refs called OPI or not and the refs swallowed the whistle for the perennial champs.  Against teams like the Steelers, we have to beat them by 10 on the field to beat them by 3 on the scoreboard.  It's tough, because they almost always have a good team, but not impossible.