The Conspiracy Narrative Around Here (1 Viewer)

[Bill]

Frankly I find all the dialog on the SSF pertaining to a systematic mandate of favoritism by the NFL to be both paranoidal & childish.
"Whaaaaaaa, they don't like my team! Whaaaaaaaa!!!"

I am finding this mindset among many (if not most) of the members to be at least somewhat irritating. And i really don't get it for a LOT of reasons. But I thought I'd attempt to see just how prevalent this thinking is around here by making a poll. It's up to you is you wish to respond to it. I won't ask for identification. It's just to see how far we've all moved into the ranks of conspiracy theorists.

 

[xpuma20x]

Frankly I find all the dialog on the SSF pertaining to a systematic mandate of favoritism by the NFL to be both paranoidal & childish.
"Whaaaaaaa, they don't like my team! Whaaaaaaaa!!!"

Not really sure you're looking for dialogue with this type of entrance on the question. However, in an attempt to answer, I do believe there are pushes for certain things to happen to assure a narrative is out there. Does this mean every single hold called against a team is because of a multi-billion dollar corporation conspiring to make even more money? No. But there are certain things that are just undeniable. Over punishment of one team versus another who makes an even larger mistake. Statistics of fouls completely favoring certain teams versus others. Now, I know that can easily be downplayed with "well those teams are just better." That could be possible if those stats weren't over years and years and years.

 

[tjharris]

There was a blatant pass interference not called against the Rams.
The Rams were moving into the largest market in the U.S.
It certainly smells like a conspiracy to get them into the Super Bowl

 

[BooBirdSaint]

The Patriots were caught cheating three times and they lost a combine two mid round draft picks. The bounty gate BS cost us an entire season and a 1st round draft pick. The Steelers and Titans were caught not following Covid protocols and lost nothing. We were caught not following Covid protocols and lost a 3rd round draft pick?
IDK but how is the NFL treating us equally?

 

[bartk12]

I don’t think its a clear yes/no question. I think a lot of power rests with one person and if he has a grudge you will notice this in fines etc. I also think some owners are more in his ear then others and that gives them some benefits. But i don’t see that going any further then maybe some scheduling perks or not losing a home game when playing abroad etc.
I don’t think there is a large conspiracy going on to intentionaly hurt franchises or let them loose games. If there was the owners/NFL could loose some serious amount of cash and be liable in several lawsuits.

 

[BelowZero]

Uh-oh. You're playing with fire.

I don't think so. As far as the 'no-call' goes (where this whole conspiracy narrative started), I think it's a narrative created by fans to escape the reality that it was their HoF QB who lost what was likely the last realistic shot at another SB in his era. It's easier to blame a call for a devastating loss (in which the team had more than a few chances to score while the defense repeatedly did their job, including winning the toss in OT only to have him throw a Winston-ball to nobody.) than the QB who got you there, the QB who habitually choked each playoff game away. It's easier to say that the refs are against your team as the reason they lost. It's naïve to think that the NFL, a nearly 100 billion dollar corporation, would risk everything to nudge/rig a game for a slight bit more profit. Everything they built, just gone. No more money, no more anything. It's ludicrous to even think that's a possibility. This isn't underground boxing.

Let's put this another way. If you're a Saints fan, and you believe the NFL is rigged/nudged toward a certain storyline/narrative, then doesn't that mean this team's Superbowl win means nothing? It had everything. The Storyline: Coming back from Katrina, the Aint's to the Saints, Drew Brees and Sean Payton being easy to root for. The Team: High-flying, balanced offense. Opportunistic defense. So, basically, that SB was given to the Saints because of a redemption story? Just like the Rams moving to LA., but, no! Wait! In the least surprising turn of events ever, Brady wins another ring. What a twist. You can't claim there's a narrative in the NFL, but make it disappear when it's most convenient for you.

 

[GW93]

It's just amazing so-called professionals can miss this:

and it just happens to send the new L.A. team, the one in the nation's second-largest TV market, that the league has been trying to get back into for more than 20 years, to the sport's biggest game, that's watched around world.

I'm not saying it was on purpose, but any chance I get to bash Park Avenue for anything, you bet your sweet can I'm going to pounce on it.

 

[Que Que 6]

Frankly I find all the dialog on the SSF pertaining to a systematic mandate of favoritism by the NFL to be both paranoidal & childish.
"Whaaaaaaa, they don't like my team! Whaaaaaaaa!!!"

I am finding this mindset among many (if not most) of the members to be at least somewhat irritating. And i really don't get it for a LOT of reasons. But I thought I'd attempt to see just how prevalent this thinking is around here by making a poll. It's up to you is you wish to respond to it. I won't ask for identification. It's just to see how far we've all moved into the ranks of conspiracy theorists.

My granny used to ask me, "Is this something u THINK, or is this something that u KNOW"? I don't even think about Bountygate anymore. I know what I think, but it is water under the bridge. I will go to my grave with the image of Tommylee being mauled 2-4 seconds before the ball was in the area. THIS I KNOW. Most egregious non-call in the history of sports (I'm being overdramatic. But only slightly). In the age of replay, that was cheating. So when we get screwed at some point this year people will be mad. I won't get all upset at them like u are. Because SOMETHING happened a few years ago that no one will ever be able to explain unless the word "cheating" is used. Not incompetence. Not error in heat of the moment. Cheating.

 

[Bill]

There was a blatant pass interference not called against the Rams.
The Rams were moving into the largest market in the U.S.
It certainly smells like a conspiracy to get them into the Super Bowl

It’s a good thing the refs in that game got a call from the league office in the final moments of that game to remind them that they were supposed to advance the Rams instead of the Saints to the Super Bowl. They almost screwed up waiting too long to eliminate our boys.

 

[blotch1]

I don't believe they explicitly decide games ahead of time, but they do help certain teams to be successful with more favorable officiating.

Great teams can usually overcome the bad calls and still win, but sometimes like in the the playoff game against the Rams, it changes the outcome.

.

Also, the missed PI call wasn't the last bad call in that game... the Brees' interception in overtime was caused by a hit to the head that should have been roughing the passer.

 

[SweetT]

Where there is money, there is corruption. When there is a wealth of money, there is a wealth of corruption.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

Flip your question- you are certain the NFL is without bias and there is no way a handful of teams benefit from that bias and another handful suffer from it?

I would say that’s an equally naive presumption

 

[Que Que 6]

Where there is money, there is corruption. When there is a wealth of money, there is a wealth of corruption.

Yes. To not believe this simple fact is unreasonable. And silly.

 

[somefalconsfan]

Even as a Falcons fan who got 28-3 in full blast, I don't think there's some big conspiracy. Stuff happens. At the end of the day, that's football.

 

[Bill]

Uh-oh. You're playing with fire.

I don't think so. As far as the 'no-call' goes (where this whole conspiracy narrative started), I think it's a narrative created by fans to escape the reality that it was their HoF QB who lost what was likely the last realistic shot at another SB in his era. It's easier to blame a call for a devastating loss (in which the team had more than a few chances to score while the defense repeatedly did their job, including winning the toss in OT only to have him throw a Winston-ball to nobody.) than the QB who got you there, the QB who habitually choked each playoff game away. It's easier to say that the refs are against your team as the reason they lost. It's naïve to think that the NFL, a nearly 100 billion dollar corporation, would risk everything to nudge/rig a game for a slight bit more profit. Everything they built, just gone. No more money, no more anything. It's ludicrous to even think that's a possibility. This isn't underground boxing.

Let's put this another way. If you're a Saints fan, and you believe the NFL is rigged/nudged toward a certain storyline/narrative, then doesn't that mean this team's Superbowl win means nothing? It had everything. The Storyline: Coming back from Katrina, the Aint's to the Saints, Drew Brees and Sean Payton being easy to root for. The Team: High-flying, balanced offense. Opportunistic defense. So, basically, that SB was given to the Saints because of a redemption story? Just like the Rams moving to LA., but, no! Wait! In the least surprising turn of events ever, Brady wins another ring. What a twist. You can't claim there's a narrative in the NFL, but make it disappear when it's most convenient for you.

It just becomes irritating that every discussion around here where our Saints don’t have things go our way the narrative turns into how the league is deliberately keeping us down. Yet for the last 4 years the Saints have won no less than 11 games in the season. Why is a team who is consistently getting some of the highest ratings on TV now hated by the league and are no longer eligible to advance to the Super Bowl? It makes no sense. Yet when we fail it’s always the refs/league’s fault.