Was surfing around and came across this on About.com's Sports Betting site (I shortened the article)
Tim Donaghy's Latest Allegations
At the heart of the matter is Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings. The Kings, up 3-2 in the series, were victims of what many people view as the worst-officiated game of all-time, and the Lakers managed to pull out a 106-102 victory. The officiating was viewed as so bad, that longtime presidential hopeful Ralph Nader sent a letter to Stern stating that very fact afterwards. (The entire letter is found on page two of this article.)
In his meeting with reporters, Stern constantly referred to Donaghy as a convicted felon, which is true. But what does that say for Stern's credibility when polls show that upwards of 75-percent of the public tends to believe Donaghy? A poll on Fox Sports shows that out of nearly 150,000 respondents that 79-percent of them believe the 2002 Western Conference Finals were fixed.
One of the unique aspects of Donaghy's latest claims is that the alleged fixing of a basketball game wasn't done primarily from a gambling standpoint, but from a league standpoint. That still hasn't stopped sports bettors from weighing in on the matter.
On the RX Forum, one of the best and most popular forms for sports bettors, the poll results are quite similar, although on a much smaller scale. Still, it's interesting to see the thoughts of a group of people who see the game from a different perspective than the average fan, especially when the outcome is close to the point spread, even though the actual winner of the game may not be in doubt.
In two separate polls on the RX, forum members were asked if the NBA is rigged? Currently (as of noon on Thursday) 32 members have answered yes and nobody has answered no. The second poll question was "Donaghy telling the truth?" Thirty people answered yes, compared to seven who answered no. That's slightly more than 81-percent of the people inclined to believe a "convicted felon" over the commissioner of the NBA.
Donaghy's allegations aren't going to go away quietly, despite Stern's wishes, and a number of fans have already weighed in with their opinions. The next move will be up to Stern. There are a lot of questions that should be answered. If they ever are is another matter entirely, but until they are, there will be people who lump the NBA with professional boxing, which is just a small step above the WWE in terms of credibility.
Tim Donaghy's Latest Allegations
At the heart of the matter is Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings. The Kings, up 3-2 in the series, were victims of what many people view as the worst-officiated game of all-time, and the Lakers managed to pull out a 106-102 victory. The officiating was viewed as so bad, that longtime presidential hopeful Ralph Nader sent a letter to Stern stating that very fact afterwards. (The entire letter is found on page two of this article.)
In his meeting with reporters, Stern constantly referred to Donaghy as a convicted felon, which is true. But what does that say for Stern's credibility when polls show that upwards of 75-percent of the public tends to believe Donaghy? A poll on Fox Sports shows that out of nearly 150,000 respondents that 79-percent of them believe the 2002 Western Conference Finals were fixed.
One of the unique aspects of Donaghy's latest claims is that the alleged fixing of a basketball game wasn't done primarily from a gambling standpoint, but from a league standpoint. That still hasn't stopped sports bettors from weighing in on the matter.
On the RX Forum, one of the best and most popular forms for sports bettors, the poll results are quite similar, although on a much smaller scale. Still, it's interesting to see the thoughts of a group of people who see the game from a different perspective than the average fan, especially when the outcome is close to the point spread, even though the actual winner of the game may not be in doubt.
In two separate polls on the RX, forum members were asked if the NBA is rigged? Currently (as of noon on Thursday) 32 members have answered yes and nobody has answered no. The second poll question was "Donaghy telling the truth?" Thirty people answered yes, compared to seven who answered no. That's slightly more than 81-percent of the people inclined to believe a "convicted felon" over the commissioner of the NBA.
Donaghy's allegations aren't going to go away quietly, despite Stern's wishes, and a number of fans have already weighed in with their opinions. The next move will be up to Stern. There are a lot of questions that should be answered. If they ever are is another matter entirely, but until they are, there will be people who lump the NBA with professional boxing, which is just a small step above the WWE in terms of credibility.
hno:
