Jonah's Jabs: Are pro sports scripted?

By Jonah Unger
Staff Writer

On Feb. 26 I watched Jake Paul and Tommy Fury go at it in a boxing match on ESPN. The match was pay-per-view, and in my opinion it was a great fight in which both fighters gave their all. The best one, Fury, came out on top.

My opinion aside, there are a lot of people online saying the fight was rigged, including Fury’s opponent, Jake Paul. Whenever Paul wins, however, people argue that he had the fight rigged.

This has brought me to the conclusion that people are always going to create conspiracies, especially in sports. Because of that, I have decided to research one of the most recent, and biggest U.S. sports conspiracy theories going on today.

The National Football League is being scripted: This theory began as a running gag online and between fans. That was until former running back Arian Foster stated that the NFL is in fact scripted.

Foster spoke on a podcast and said the league is scripted. He said players received scripts during training camp, and that is what they practice. This set off a domino effect on Twitter, according to The Shadow League. 

Why it could be true: There are some moments in the NFL that seem too good to be true. I will even go as far as to say that some moments don’t seem possible. These include Tom Brady coming back from a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl LI, or certain pass-interference calls during Super Bowl games that would not have been called on any given Sunday. 

Another reason this theory could make sense is that there is a lot of money that can be made by fixing games. Unfortunately, money is what makes the world go around.

Why it could be false: If the NFL was scripted, then this would be considered as fixing games, which is highly illegal. If the NFL was scripted, then it could be disastrous for the brand, and would most definitely destroy the whole league.

Plus one must ask, “Why would an association that already resonates an estimated nine billion dollars a year (according to Sportskeeda) want to add the extra effort, money and time to script games.”

With how many people are affiliated with the NFL, a theory this big would eventually have some evidence to back it up. Instead it is just a theory. Also, if the NFL is scripted, it is hard to believe that the Detroit Lions would go this long without winning a Super Bowl. 

Conclusion: At the end of the day it is hard to accept when your favorite team loses, and a lot of unbelievable things happen in sports. That is why so many people are interested in watching. Football is unpredictable most of the time, and that is the beauty of it.

Now I refuse to comment on whether or not the refs are paid off or not, because that would require a whole different story.