Getting close to the same thing, isn't t?
Years ago, when Tagliabue became commissioner, the most questionable calls in the game were spots - refs adding inches or taking them away to influence games. Then came replay and challenge flags.
Guess what: There are now far fewer questionable spot calls.
Flash forward through several push-and-pull cycles of questionable officiating and compensating rule changes, etc. to take the bias, one might call it, out of officiating. Concurrent with that, under Tagliabue the gambling interests strengthen their hold on the league and take more and more money out fan's pockets, until our current commish sells out completely, totally legitimizes and subsidizes gambling, in exchange for more money from the gambling industry coming into the league's coffers. Does that all seem hunky-dory to you? Could anything possibly go amiss?
Let's ask a question - are the tables and card games in Vegas on the up-and-up, or are there factors built in that favor the house?
Next question: If this same industry is positioned by the NFL to make significant windfalls, how can we expect them to operate?
Let's go back a few years: In response to players, coaches and fans concerns about questionable officiating, the NFL establishes committees to revamp and tweak the rules, etc. The NFL retains the public appearance of doing all it can... this leaves the gaming interests free to roam and hunt, and find new territory to influence.
So, if the margin for error in questionable calls are tightened, what's left for the combined powers that be to manipulate? How about
not calling obvious violations and penalties that might possibly tip game one way or another? Not a foolproof fix, and won't work every time, but even if successful in a small percentage of cases, won't that tip the table often enough to turn an immense profit to be split between the gaming industry and the league?
Aww... jeepers, you might ask: Could such a thing actually be happening to my beloved game of NFL football, here in America?
Nah - couldn't be. It's all a conspiracy theory.
