Bad Calls and NFL Ad Revenue

CowboyMike · Dec 26, 2018

Doomsday101 said:
Could have used a few in the colts game, I guess they did not need the extra revenue from that game?

People will still tune in to watch the Cowboys lose.

CouchCoach · Dec 26, 2018

In any conspiracy theory, first ask yourself two questions. 1) how many different people would have to be in on it and 2) how could they keep it quiet over any period of time?

The idea that there's some entity pulling the strings at the right time to control the outcome of games with the number of people that would have to be involved doesn't hold water for me. I think, with the avarice of the NFL, the are completely capable of the desire to control the games and thereby, the viewers, but this would be too hard to pull off with far too many moving parts.

I do believe the officiating has gotten worse with too many Stevie Wonder misses and phantom calls but I do not think they're smart enough to pull something off of this magnitude. And the reward does not equal the risk of getting caught in something like that. What do you think congress would do with that anti-trust exemption they game the NFL if it was disclosed that the games were altered?

What is the problem for me is being able to stay engaged in any game. The stop downs are getting worse and they keep going the wrong way, they need fewer reviewable plays, not more. It wouldn't bother me if they did away with the challenges and reviewing calls and let them stand as called. Before any of this came about, it pretty well evened itself out over time.

Doomsday101 · Dec 26, 2018

CowboyMike said:
People will still tune in to watch the Cowboys lose.

Some will watch anything fake or not.

glimmerman · Dec 26, 2018

Most football fans I talk to, doesn’t matter the team they like just fans in general are saying it’s becoming more difficult to watch the games because of the bad calls. Most are saying blatant.

Kaiser · Dec 26, 2018

CouchCoach said:
In any conspiracy theory, first ask yourself two questions. 1) how many different people would have to be in on it and 2) how could they keep it quiet over any period of time?

Its the same number of people and amount of time as you see in most Insider Trading cases at Hedge Funds and Investment Banks.

Runwildboys · Dec 26, 2018

Kaiser said:
MLB Steroids was a much bigger scandal and made a lot more money for that sport. Who blew the whistle on that from inside the sport?

I'll give you the answer - it came from outside the sport and mostly because they were violating US law.

You really think steroids are a much bigger scandal than the league itself fixing the games???

Pretty much anyone on the inside of the MLB steroids scandal who would have proof of it was someone who was involved in it, so why would they talk?

aikemirv · Dec 26, 2018

The game on Sunday was littered with penalties in the first half. I was sick of them being called no matter who it was on.

These holding calls are just getting beyond ridiculous - 90% of the calls they make happen on every play. It's just silly!

MarcusRock · Dec 26, 2018

LOCH NESS MONSTER REVEALED !!!

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ghst187 · Dec 26, 2018

The NBA has been doing this for years and one of their officials even came out saying so...
Shouldn’t be surprising the NFL also does it. At the end of the day the games are merely entertainment like a circus or puppet show, there just so happens to be billions of $ at stake

Kaiser · Dec 26, 2018

Runwildboys said:
You really think steroids are a much bigger scandal than the league itself fixing the games???

Where did anyone in this thread say they are fixing the outcome of games? They are preventing blowouts early to keep fans watching, they aren't fixing games.

Ddisco22 · Dec 26, 2018

Kaiser said:
Lets look at officiating in key points of the first half of the last two Dallas games. I’ve said for years that bad calls “mysteriously” happen in the NFL at the exact points needed to keep the games close so fans keep watching. That is purely because of TV ad revenue, which depends on fans watching – and they don’t watch the second half of blowouts. Last year the NFL made 13 Billion in revenue with 5 Billion coming from the TV contracts.

I accidently deleted the tape of the Colts game but when they were up 7 and about to go up 14 to take control the game, the refs made several bad calls to stop the Colts (helping Dallas) and keep the game close. If Indy is up 14 at the half, the fans turn the channel, ad revenue goes down and the NFL loses money. No question they were terrible calls and they benefited Dallas.

In the Bucs game, look at the last drive of the half. Two minutes left, Dallas is up by 11. A three and out and Dallas is up by 11 or 14 at the half and fans change the channel. Lets look at consecutive plays on that drive:

2&10 at TB 25 – Winston hits Jackson at 24 yards but the refs add 15 yards for Gregory roughing the passer even though he hits Winston a half step after his release - well within the rules. Ball at the Dallas 36 followed by a 5 yard pass.

2nd & 5 at Dallas 31. 11 yard pass to Evans on a play where several TB OL are holding. Holding was called on both teams on similar plays throughout the game but not here.

1st & 10 at Dallas 20 – Winston throws to Evans in the End Zone, who flagrantly pushes off in the End Zone, directly in front of the refs. The announcers call it a blatant push off. No call.

2nd & 10 at the Dallas 20 – Winston throws 8 yards to Humphries. Xavier Woods makes a text book shoulder to shoulder tackle to knock the ball lose, making it a fumble or an incompletion.

Nope, the refs call Unnecessary Roughness, giving the Bucs a 1st and Goal at the 6. They score two plays later, the score is 4 points at halftime instead of 11 or 14.

Four out of five consecutive plays are bad calls. Fans keep watching, ad revenue comes into the networks and those Billions of dollars continue to roll into the NFL.

It would be nice if some of those calls (after reviewing) would get overturned and/or pick up the flags. Especially if it is at a particular turning point in a game.

I know what you are thinking, who's to say what is a turning point or which situations would warrant it.
Some of the calls seem to happen at a "bad time" depending on the fan base but I think we all can see obvious bad calls by the refs. Especially if the guy in the booth disagrees with it, it should be changed.

Runwildboys · Dec 26, 2018

Kaiser said:
Where did anyone in this thread say they are fixing the outcome of games? They are preventing blowouts early to keep fans watching, they aren't fixing games.

Where did I say "fixing the outcomes"? Controlling the score is still fixing the games.

Runwildboys · Dec 26, 2018

Runwildboys said:
Where did I say "fixing the outcomes"? Controlling the score is still fixing the games.

Also, "keeping the score close" in the first half could very easily change the outcome of the game, so there's that.

Scotman · Dec 26, 2018

Kaiser said:
All media inquiries in this matter should be directed to my legal counsel Latham & Watkins LLP.

Given the touchy nature of this subject, you ought to switch to Dewey, Cheatham & Howe.

Red Dragon · Dec 26, 2018

I've been suspicious about Super Bowls for that same reason. The vast majority of the past 20 Super Bowls have been nail-biters determined by the last play or last drive. Only a few of them have been blowouts. The Patriots have won or lost all their recent Super Bowls by no more than one score.

conner01 · Dec 26, 2018

Doomsday101 said:
I will just say if it was ever proven that these calls are on purpose to fix a game, then I would stop watching the NFL all together. I agree that there are bad calls and questionable calls in every game but I do not think the refs really care about the outcomes of any game.

It would likely be a crime
I don’t really believe in conspiracies
I think the league has made it clear they want more penalties called plus the constant changing of rules make it hard on officials

Stash · Dec 26, 2018

Runwildboys said:
There are just too many people who would blow the whistle on something like this, for the money and the fame.

Exactly right.

Kaiser · Dec 26, 2018

Red Dragon said:
I've been suspicious about Super Bowls for that same reason. The vast majority of the past 20 Super Bowls have been nail-biters determined by the last play or last drive. Only a few of them have been blowouts. The Patriots have won or lost all their recent Super Bowls by no more than one score.

IMO the Super Bowl is too big of a stage to play a lot of shenannigans. Although the Steelers - Seahawks game ten years ago is the only time I've ever watched an NFL game and wondered if it it was fixed.

Stash · Dec 26, 2018

Doomsday101 said:
I agree and they will change the emphasis on something else next season. If I had one big argument with the league it is the constantly changing of the rules. I don't need the league to put in rules that may lead to more scoring or over protection of any player. I watch football and will enjoy a defensive battle just as much as an offensive shootout

It seems they fix one thing only to break another.

Kaiser · Dec 26, 2018

conner01 said:
I don’t really believe in conspiracies

I don't believe in large scale conspiracies but I believe in Agency Theory. That's why I use the comparison to Hedge Funds, things with similar numbers of people and dollar amounts happen there too - and few are caught compared to how many times it happens.

Bad Calls and NFL Ad Revenue

CowboyMike

Stay Thirsty, My Friends

CouchCoach

Doomsday101

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glimmerman

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Kaiser

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Runwildboys

Confused about stuff

aikemirv

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MarcusRock

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ghst187

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Kaiser

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Ddisco22

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Runwildboys

Confused about stuff

Runwildboys

Confused about stuff

Scotman

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Red Dragon

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conner01

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Stash

Kaiser

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Stash

Kaiser

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