Date:
 06-12-10
 
Host:
 Ian Punnett
 
Guests:
 Brian Tuohy 
 


Ian Punnett welcomed sports conspiracy expert, Brian Tuohy, who argued that the outcomes of professional sports games are decided in advance in order to increase market share and maintain popularity with the fan base. Whenever leagues need a game or series to go their way, it usually does, Tuohy said. As an example, he referred to Super Bowl III (1969), in which the NFL's heavily favored Baltimore Colts were defeated by the underdog New York Jets of the AFL. Tuohy believes the game was rigged to establish the AFL's credibility. There is proof that at least 70 NFL games have been fixed, he added. 

As another piece of evidence, Tuohy pointed to the baseball season immediately following the 1994–95 MLB strike. At a time when they needed to reignite the public's interest in baseball, players suddenly began hitting homeruns at a record-breaking pace, he said. Tuohy further observed that Game 7 of the World Series has occurred more often than it should have. In the 40 years from 1949 to 1989, statistically half of the World Series have gone the full distance, he said. 

In basketball, Tuohy spoke about disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who allegedly bet on games that he officiated. Tuohy admitted it is hard to prove if Donaghy actually fixed any games, but his legal troubles did apparently reveal that Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings had been rigged by two referees. "There is no law that prevents the NBA from fixing their own games," he added. 

The enormously popular world of NASCAR racing has its own legend about how races are fixed, Tuohy continued. According to the legend, known as 'The Call,' racers receive notification that they have been chosen to win a particular race. Tuohy suggested that Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s victory at the 2001 Pepsi 400 may have been the result of such a call. Several drivers even admitted they did not want to pass Earnhardt, as his father had been killed at the same track only few months earlier, Tuohy said. 

Tuohy also discussed the suspicious winning streak of NHL teams who relocate to the southern United States, stadium deals, and the relationship between politics and sports, as well as commented on the recent missed goal during the World Cup soccer match between England and America. 


Website(s):
•thefixisin.net
Book(s):
•The Fix is In