Games & Recreation Sporting conspiracies

[Silent Alarm]

Yes yes, there's a board for this. No no, governments wouldn't lie to us.

Sporting conspiracies are generally a little easier to accept because they don't ask too many fundamental questions. They don't make people re-evaluate their purpose and lifestyle. There's less to lose, emotionally, I guess.

So with that, what are some weird things you've always found a little suss? Or what are some events well documented but still worth chatting about? Some of the big ones for me:

– The 1985 NBA Draft lottery being rigged, with envelopes being bent in the process to ensure the Knicks got the first pick and thus Ewing
– Why did Michael Jordan initially retire and go play baseball? Why and how did his father die? What was his gambling vice like?
– The NBA derailed the Houston Rockets in the '80s so the Celtics - Lakers rivalry kept on going on
– Ronaldo had a fit before the 1998 World Cup Final, but Nike made him play as they basically ran the Brazilian soccer federation
– The 2002 FIFA World Cup was rigged a little too overtly – South Korea's run isn't even subtly rigged
– Soccer, especially the World Cup, is pre-determined and a lot of the games are fixed and ran via the sponsors, which reward the European nations

Can't wait for Plugger35 and his Whispers in the Sky one.

 

[Gough]

Wayne Harmes was out of bounds in 1979.

 

[Doss]

Wayne Harmes was out of bounds in 1979.

He actually was, though.

 

[Gough]

He actually was, though.

It's funny coz Collingwood lost.

 

[And_ROOS]

– Ronaldo had a fit before the 1998 World Cup Final, but Nike made him play as they basically ran the Brazilian soccer federation

This one has always interested me and this is a tidbit I found off google;

Alex Bellos of the Guardian painted quite the picture with his words about the physical trauma Ronaldo reportedly suffered in the hours before the Final. According to Bellos, Ronaldo's body convulsed, and a teammate had to take action to make sure that Ronaldo would not swallow his tongue. While the rest of the squad made their way to the stadium, Ronaldo was taken for tests and left off the teamsheet.

Ronaldo was eventually allowed to travel to the stadium, however, and he started the match for Brazil. He was largely ineffective in the losing effort.

One could write an entire piece about just the conspiracy theories linked with this bizarre event. We'll start by assuming that something really did happen to Ronaldo before the game.

Is it possible that somebody, a person within the French federation or even a fan, poisoned Ronaldo? Did he suffer an emotional breakdown before the match, as BBC.com alleged? Was he secretly ill but still forced to play by Nike, which had used Ronaldo in World Cup advertisements, and/or by the Brazilian federation? Did Ronaldo force his way into the team even though he was unwell?

And I agree with you, If you watch his efforts during the match, Ronaldo having some sort of fit but being passed as ok, then forced out to play by someone would explain a lot.

 

[edgie]

2016 Preliminary and Grand Finals

2011 Port Adelaide vs Essendon

Silva vs Sonnen 2: Middleweight Title Fight

 

[Smeg Head]

Sydney 2005 Re Barry Hall.

 

[Plugger35]

I was at that Whispers in the Sky game so it literally happened right in front of me.

The amount of goals Freo got in that game from soft or just plain wrong free kicks paid in front of goal was unbelievable so it came as no surprise when there was that controversy about the umpires comments on the plane home saying "now we know what it's like to have a win" and it was even less of a surprise that the AFL swept it under the rug.

There's been plenty of other AFL games I've watched where you wonder if games are being rigged by the umpires, moreso than any other sport I watch.

There are a couple of other sports conspiracies I can think of though like the All Blacks getting food poisoning prior to the 1995 World Cup final, some people say it was deliberate in order to hinder their chances against the home team South Africa and Pakistan's abysmal showing in the 1999 Cricket World Cup final looks suspicious in light of the subsequent match fixing charges against Pakistani players.

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

I was at that Whispers in the Sky game so it literally happened right in front of me.

The amount of goals Freo got in that game from soft or just plain wrong free kicks paid in front of goal was unbelievable so it came as no surprise when there was that controversy about the umpires comments on the plane home saying "now we know what it's like to have a win" and it was even less of a surprise that the AFL swept it under the rug.

There's been plenty of other AFL games I've watched where you wonder if games are being rigged by the umpires, moreso than any other sport I watch.

There are a couple of other sports conspiracies I can think of though like the All Blacks getting food poisoning prior to the 1995 World Cup final, some people say it was deliberate in order to hinder their chances against the home team South Africa and Pakistan's abysmal showing in the 1999 Cricket World Cup final looks suspicious in light of the subsequent match fixing charges against Pakistani players.

This reminds me of the lasagna incident that cost Spurs a Champions League spot and to finish above Arsenal. All they needed was a win against West Ham but most of the squad succumbed to illness the night before at the Marriott Hotel. It turned out that the winter vomiting bug was likely the cause and not the lasagna.

 

[Gough]

Headingley 1972, a mysterious grass disease, fusarium, effected only the 22 yards of the pitch allowing Underwood to run through our batsman, and England retain the Ashes.

 

[Silent Alarm]

I think the Premier League is pretty dirty, who the current owners are these days is pretty interesting. As if these guys throw away money like that. Then again, egos are scary...

This one has always interested me and this is a tidbit I found off google;


And I agree with you, If you watch his efforts during the match, Ronaldo having some sort of fit but being passed as ok, then forced out to play by someone would explain a lot.

I once saw something pretty crazy about that on one of those really heavy conspiracy boards. I can't remember the specifics but it was related to blackmail and all of this sort of stuff.

 

[PhatBoy]

If Ronaldo's seizure was anything like mine - I've had about 6 epileptic seizures - it's criminal that he played. The toll those things take on your body is enourmous.

 

[rippersnipper]

This reminds me of the lasagna incident that cost Spurs a Champions League spot and to finish above Arsenal. All they needed was a win against West Ham but most of the squad succumbed to illness the night before at the Marriott Hotel. It turned out that the winter vomiting bug was likely the cause and not the lasagna.

The FA wouldn't postpone the game either so most of the side played under matt renshaw circumstances. Absolute rubbish

 

[Frank Bunn]

Headingley 1972, a mysterious grass disease, fusarium, effected only the 22 yards of the pitch allowing Underwood to run through our batsman, and England retain the Ashes.

Hang on. The Fusarium happened before the test started and Ian Chappell won the toss!

 

[And_ROOS]

The FA wouldn't postpone the game either so most of the side played under matt renshaw circumstances. Absolute rubbish

I legitimately was upset by that, because had Tottenham finished 4th, Arsenal would have beaten Barca in the CL final to take 4th spot (back then the CL winner took the spot of the lowest ranked CL qualifier to keep numbers even if the team that won the CL finished outside of the CL spots.)

Sad that back then, competing for everything and nearly won the CL, and now 4th place is our "trophy"

 

[Richard Cranium]

– Why did Michael Jordan initially retire and go play baseball? Why and how did his father die? What was his gambling vice like?

Case closed.

 

[t_94]

St Kilda and the umpires every week of footy season for the last 30 years according to Plugger35

 

[NotAMagpieBogan]

Its nothing overly major, but I reckon NASCAR definitely play their hand a bit some times. Last few years the pole position winners for the Daytona 500 have always been a bit too convenient for good press.

 

[NorthernLights]

The AFL sending Tony Lockett to Sydney in 1995 (he wanted to go to Richmond).

 

[Syd]

Yes yes, there's a board for this. No no, governments wouldn't lie to us.

Sporting conspiracies are generally a little easier to accept because they don't ask too many fundamental questions. They don't make people re-evaluate their purpose and lifestyle. There's less to lose, emotionally, I guess.

So with that, what are some weird things you've always found a little suss? Or what are some events well documented but still worth chatting about? Some of the big ones for me:

– The 1985 NBA Draft lottery being rigged, with envelopes being bent in the process to ensure the Knicks got the first pick and thus Ewing
– Why did Michael Jordan initially retire and go play baseball? Why and how did his father die? What was his gambling vice like?
– The NBA derailed the Houston Rockets in the '80s so the Celtics - Lakers rivalry kept on going on
– Ronaldo had a fit before the 1998 World Cup Final, but Nike made him play as they basically ran the Brazilian soccer federation
– The 2002 FIFA World Cup was rigged a little too overtly – South Korea's run isn't even subtly rigged
– Soccer, especially the World Cup, is pre-determined and a lot of the games are fixed and ran via the sponsors, which reward the European nations

Can't wait for Plugger35 and his Whispers in the Sky one.

You are aware that Jordan actually bought the Minor League team he played for and as an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox (the team) the resultant publicity exceeded the purchase price, yes?

 

[Syd]

The AFL sending Tony Lockett to Sydney in 1995 (he wanted to go to Richmond).

Bullshit

No one wants to go to Shitmond

 

[hagansbull]

Sure he did.

The last test v India has got me a bit concerned.

 

[Shane Sheridan]

Bullshit

No one wants to go to Shitmond

Of course he did. Who wouldn't want to play a grand final every week?

 

[GreyCrow]

Clive LLoyd won a Court Case over allegations of a fix in a ODI

 

[Plugger35]

The AFL sending Tony Lockett to Sydney in 1995 (he wanted to go to Richmond).

I discovered these old news reports recently which talk about Lockett going to Richmond, they make it seem like a certainty which is amusing in hindsight.