re: Professional sports being 'fixed' or at least influenced...

If you could look at all the penalties that Alabama got during their recent 7 or 8 yr run you will see they get called for penalties at a rate just like anyone else. But if you actually watch the games they got mostly meaningless penalties when the game was in already in hand or in the middle of the field. Now if you look at their opponents penalties they were in critical times of the game. A lot of times bringing back big plays or putting the team in a hole. I know this sounds off the wall but I seen it in several of the games I watched, even when they didn't play LSU.

It's strange because once they got to bowl games or playoff they got called for penalties just like the opposing team.