The talk of social media following the Super Bowl XLVIII was that the game between the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos was rigged. The news of this hit an all time high on Tuesday when it was mostly everyone was talking about.
But people can't be this serious, right?
The article many were referring to was this one published by Huzlers.com. Nowhere — and I mean absolutely nowhere — does any other site talk about it than just Huzlers.com. The only other sites are like International Business Times, who analyze the one made by Huzlers.com.
Here was the main paragraph that sparked controversy from the Huzlers.com article:
Super Bowl referee Terry McAulay told reporters he sensed something strange when he overhead Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning allegedly asking Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll “When are you going to pay up?”. McAulay immediately became suspicious and notified other officials and that’s when it all started. The NFL is currently investigating the situation and looking for evidence to prove the game was rigged. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters “This is like that Chicago White Sox scandal back in 1919, I can’t believe this, they ruined the sport, I just can’t believe it”.
I mean, come on guys, you can't be serious in believing that? Just look closely and see how many grammar and styling errors there are. It's websites like these they make me laugh hysterically in why people actually believe them. Some of these visitors don't even take the time to look at the whole site, as it says at the bottom of the website that's it satire.
Scroll all the way to the bottom of Huzlers.com and you'll see their slogan: "Huzlers.com is a combination of real shocking news and satire news to keep its visitors in a state of disbelief."
Now, is there a chance the Super Bowl is rigged? Maybe, but a very small chance. I only give that very small chance since we have seen professional sports in the past show this, such as those controversial Los Angeles Lakers vs Sacramento Kings series in the early-2000s or the SpyGate scandal from the New England Patriots.
But even with all of that, there's not enough proof to show there is any rigging going on. Despite that, the people still mindlessly believe things.
If you're a frequent on Twitter, you'll notice how many believe the most fake stories. I remember one time a story by Creambmp.com went out that said Vine star Lil TerRio was 45 years old, not six years old. You won't believe how many folks believed that article.
Creambmp is a lot like Huzlers, where they even blatantly say that they are a satire site. However, they continue to bump out new content each day with noticeable grammar and style errors, but still make folks fall into their hilarious traps.
Go ahead and take a look at the IB Times article, because the comments in that post are outright hilarious. There are more than 20 people who really go in-depth on thinking the Super Bowl is rigged. Scroll all the way down and look, you'll enjoy the conversation the commenters are having.
The IB Times article is actually pretty good read, though. I liked this excerpt from it:
But conspiracy theorists were out in full force trying to prove that the 2014 Super Bowl was staged. Yahoo user Favre suggested the game was rigged in the early goings of Super Bowl XLVIII.
“So the score is 15-0.. I guarantee all the NFL is doing is sitting up a Peyton 4th quarter comeback to make him look good. Its [sic] fake. guarantee you they let that bum peyton win,” Favre wrote.
But Favre’s prediction did not play out, as the hapless Broncos only managed to score 8 points in the third quarter. Seattle dominated throughout the game and finished off the Broncos 43-8.
Among the answers Favre received to his question was from Yahoo user Brad V, who reiterated the Huzlers report.
The NFL is currently investigating a rigged superbowl [sic], because one of the officials overheard peyton manning asking the seattle head coach, ‘When are you guys gonna pay up?’ it's a shame, Even if these allegations are untrue, Peyton's career is over, and he will never be a hall of fame inductee, as he should be,” the user replied.
Others were far less skeptical that the game was rigged.
“You conspiracy theorists are really getting annoying,” opined Yahoo user Minnesota Matt. “The Superbowl [sic] is not rigged, you are all just crazy.”
It's definitely an interesting topic for sure, but give the Seahawks credit where its due. They absolutely dominated in deserving and clean fashion, and they should be given the credit for putting up one of the most amazing performances in the history of the Super Bowl.
What do you think on the conspiracy that Super Bowl XLVIII, or any of the past Super Bowls, are rigged?
