re: NFL Refs make the games almost unwatchable

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That's why the officials are untouchable. The league uses them to manipulate the outcomes for ratings. It's a fact. Money talks.

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Ratings, and gambling. Probably three quarters of the sports talkshows I listen to, gambling and the spread is discussed now. Some have gone from regular discussion to straight-out shills for gambling services and casinos.

There's just too much money to be made, for it not to be going on. And let's face it, more than half the NFL's storylines recently have been a gambler's wet dream;

LA Rams go to and win the Super Bowl in their home city.
They did so after returning to LA in the first place (didn't win), despite being a shitty team for a decade before. Now, suddenly when it's most profitable, they're awesome.
Tom Brady goes to a laughingstock of a team, wins the Super Bowl for them- also in their home stadium, as he also gets extreme coverage in the media. Old players used to go to get one last contract on bad teams, but the mega-star wins... right. One guy can't make that much difference 99% of the time.
Joe Burrow captures the nation's attention at LSU, gets drafted by a terrible Bengals team, and 2 years later they're in the Super Bowl. Go figure the odds on that.

I guarantee you, sometime years from now, it will come out that the league is in bed with the gambling services. There's just too much money to avoid it, and we've all seen the odd bumps that push the right team just enough to make a difference.