FIXED?

FIXED GAMES, June 12, 2008
The NBA finals are currently being battled between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA’s “dream match up” is a continuation of the fierce rivalry that defined the NBA during the late 1980’s. As someone who grew up in the Metro Detroit area, I was a fan of neither team. In fact, these two teams were two of the three teams I hated the most (the other being the Chicago Bulls). The NBA marketing team got exactly what it wanted with the finals between these two teams.
However, the one thing the NBA did not want, nor need is the debate that is currently going on involving the NBA and alleged “fixed” games. Former NBA referee, Tim Donaghy accused NBA referees of altering the outcome of certain playoff games in 2002 and 2005. Donaghy has pleaded guilty to betting on games he officiated and receiving cash payments from gamblers. He faces up to 33 months in prison for his crimes and will be sentenced in July. Following his guilty plea, his allegations of additional referees altering the outcome of games has caused a lot of grief for the NBA. Instead of focusing solely on the leagues championship, reporters and fans are now questioning whether or not the games are fixed. This is the worst possible scenario for a professional sports league. This is not the WWE, this is the NBA. If the allegations that the NBA and its referees altered the outcome of games to increase TV ratings or to make sure certain teams advanced in the playoffs, the NBA will basically cease to exist in many peoples minds.
The NBA prides itself on its marketing prowess, and the fact that it has a large audience, both in the US and internationally for its games. No sports league cares more about its marketing of the league and its players than the NBA. It has done a wonderful job marketing its international players – Yao Ming is not only a star of the Houston Rockets, but he is an international star. He is in TV commercials throughout the world and is on billboards across Asia, hyping everything from tennis shoes to credit cards.
NBA Commissioner, following the publication of the allegations made by Donaghy, stated that no one else was involved in any such activities. How does he know that? Prior to the Donaghy case, he had stated that no NBA referee would ever alter games. The fact that I am writing about the fact that the NBA might be fixed is clearly a problem for the NBA. In what should be its greatest week of the season, instead has turned into a nightmare. It doesn’t matter as much as to whether or not the allegations are true or not. The fact that a former NBA referee would even suggest such a scenario gives credibility to all fans who believe that their team is getting screwed by the refs.
All fans criticize officiating whenever calls go against their favorite teams. They blame the refs for the problems their teams face. If a team loses a close game and there are fouls called at the end of the game, fans question the calls and blame the referees for the loss. The sanctity of the NBA was questioned this week by someone who has plead guilty to betting on basketball and taking money from gamblers. While he might not have the best tract record as someone to believe, the mere implication that he has stated could kill the NBA. If people believe that the games are fixed, are they likely to watch? While we all know that the refs give preference to the stars of the league – has anyone ever seen Michael Jordan called for traveling? I don’t think so, but this is much more than just a non-call or two. This is the integrity of the game and the NBA better hope that Donaghy was the only problem it had, because if it turns out that there are additional problems, the league is in real trouble.