The NFL is something that people look forward to every year. It lasts about 18 weeks, with each team playing to achieve the championship title. Some theorize the NFL referees display favoritism, being the reason some teams have lost games. Could the NFL be rigged afterall? Some people might fuel this idea because of how high the NFL competition increases.
Matt Turner, a social studies teacher at LSW, has watched the NFL since he was about seven years old. Turner, a Kansas City Chiefs fan, said he was very happy with the outcome of this season since KC brought home the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Eagles in a systimatically controversial game.
However, the NFL being rigged is something he said he didn’t consider. “Could it be rigged? Yes. Is it rigged? No. We know in other leagues there have been refs that have taken pay-offs before. I do not believe that the NFL has a storyline that they are pursuing. But I don’t necessarily think that they urge officials to make calls based off of that.”
Referees in the NFL have never been caught cheating before. But in some cases, many could agree or disagree on calls made. Freshman Addison Dressler said she has been to many games herself. “I think that there is potentially probably some evidence that the NFL is rigged, just because it’s the refs like, they’re not perfect, or the NFL owners aren’t perfect, and they’re gonna make mistakes.”
Dressler has grown up watching football with her family. She enjoys the energy the Chiefs fans bring to the game and how everyone comes together to support the team. Dressler said the game could be rigged, but she isn’t 100 percent sure. “With referees being just as much human as anyone else, they can make mistakes.” Dressler said, “When it comes down to it, it’s the team’s effort and how they play.”
Social studies tacher JR Wells said there has never been any official cheating or “rigging” in the NFL.
Almost 50% of the people on an instagram poll from LSW said the NFL is rigged. Dressler said, “There is a lot of money involved for it to somehow not be a cheat.” The Denver Broncos, an NFL team has had players getting caught using a sticky substance to increase their play. Luckily, the referees caught it before the player was allowed back on the field. When it comes to loud stadiums, communication can be hard. The New York Giants had gotten fined over one hundred thousand dollars for using a radio the wrong way, this occurred for a total of 5 plays.
After the recently concluded NFL season, Turner said the Chief’s Super Bowl victory was “something that I questioned whether I would ever seen in my lifetime. And for us to see it twice in a period of four years is just mind blowing. And I’m very happy and appreciative for how well Kansas City sports have been over the last decade.”
After many Eagles fans made complaints about the holding call towards the end of the game, they used that as a reason for the game being “rigged”. The referees ended up siding with the Cheifs. For the next season, Wells has predictions on what he thinks will happen. “If the Chiefs can restructure Chris Jones’s contract and Frank Clark’s contract and some of the other players that they have on their team and dependent on what they do on the offensive line? I think just a few decisions, you could see that she’s back in the Super Bowl again next year because of how good that roster is from top to bottom. So my my prediction is achieves at least make it back to the Super Bowl.”
Turner, along with over half a million other people, gathered near Union Station for a parade to celebrate the Chiefs win.. With the ending to the season, many people’s theories continue to circle around about how the Chiefs could have lost the game after winning the coin toss. “He is a once in a generation athlete that is changing the role of quarterback for the future. We’ve never seen a quarterback with his type of athleticism, with his arm strength, its accuracy. So, we are seeing a Hall of Fame player live… And that’s so exciting.” Turner said he was very happy with how the season turned out and no one can think te season would have be done any better without Patrick Mahomes.
