STEELE SPORTS

It seems that every time I log onto Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media outlet that covers NFL action, I’m now greeted by my least favorite group of conspiracy theorists: those who believe the NFL has a top-secret “script.”

For those unfamiliar with the concept, what these theorists are suggesting is that the NFL is ensuring that certain teams, players, and storylines make the headlines in order to increase revenue for the league by rigging games and certain events over the course of the season.

A key example of this would be how the Philadelphia Eagles’ Jason Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce will become the first two brothers to compete against one another in the Super Bowl.

With the emergence in popularity of the brothers and their podcast “New Heights”, which debuted in 2022, some are saying that the timing of the duo’s on- and off-field success and Super Bowl history seasons seems suspicious.

While I can’t argue that it is fascinating to wonder if there is actually a secret agenda in the NFL, here is why I can’t buy the logic behind the concept.

The simple fact of the matter is that the NFL is an entertainment business, and in such an industry, storylines can be made from just about any outcome.

While the Kelce brothers’ story in 2022-23 has been fascinating to watch, it is debatable that there were two outcomes that the NFL may have liked to see more than just two brothers making the Super Bowl for the first time.

For example, had the San Francisco 49ers beaten the Eagles, the major storyline would have been the rise of Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, leading his team to the Super Bowl after beginning the season as the team’s third-string quarterback.

Meanwhile, if the Cincinnati Bengals would have beaten the Chiefs in the AFC Championship, it would have resulted in the Bengals making a redemption trip to the big game after being beaten 23-20 by the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LVI a season ago.

The point at hand is that no matter who wins each game or how they do so, the NFL does not need to rig games to get people interested.

Instead, the fans themselves are marketing the league by hunting for storylines in any given game and outcome.

What we as fans need to accept and understand is that the NFL has no reason to have a top-secret script.

The same fans who claim that games are rigged are the ones who believe that every time their favorite team wins, it must have been a fair game.

As fans, what we’re meant to do is sit back and enjoy the game.

Football is supposed to be fun and entertaining, not stressful and frustrating – unless you’re a Vikings fan, of course.