Post Mortem: Hawks v 9 Volts

[Michael K.]

Games like yesterday's abomination are stark reminders the players do not control games, the refs do, or at last they have shown a willingness to do so. My mind immediately defaults to 'who gains from pre-determined outcomes?" and when combined with "oh, wow, Fanduel and the NFL are currently dating hard" it's pretty easy to be skeptical about the integrity of NFL game anymore. Sports is littered with factual evidence of games thrown, careers sacrificed, mob interference, all for the almighty gambling dollar. We 100% know it is going on, but yesterday's unwatchable shitfest is a grim reminder of the intersection of money and opportunity and the decline of integrity in the game.

The NFL is a business with $23 Billion in revenues. That's 23,000 MILLION dollars but you are convinced they are going to risk all of that in a massive conspiracy involving HUNDREDS of league employees and on field Officials to intentionally impact the outcomes of games with bad calls to make a few million??? And all of these people involved from Goodell down to a random line judge are all going to be complicit and decide not be a whistle blower. Pardon the pun.

btw Do you believe a random Girl scout troupe was responsible for 911 vs. terrorists as well. lol

Whether they are doing it on purpose or not shouldn't matter. This is one of the few times I agree with AA. The games this weekend were unwatchable. I used to watch from well before Kickoff of the morning games until after the evening games. Flipping back and forth between RedZone and the seahawks. Yesterday I took the wife to a local Taphouse at Halftime. Yes, the game was on or we wouldn't have gone. But no sound, watching sporadically, etc. I haven't watched a Thursday night game all year, since we played on Wednesday, not have I watched Sunday or Monday Night. What used to consume me is now not even that watchable.

AA is right, they have a problem on their hands, and the arrogance of knowing that because of things like gambling and fantasy football they can do whatever really pisses me off. Google NFL officiating, and the fiasco that was Seattle is barely mentioned. That was an NFL record for penalties I believe, and there are other things about the Officials making the news instead!?

[D-train]

Yeah saw the official telling McBride to F off multiple times. Far worse than anything that happened in our game.

Guessing the NFL isn't too worried about its popularity though:

The most unpredictable NFL season in recent memory also put up the biggest TV ratings in 36 years, as the league posted an average delivery of 18.7 million viewers per game—good for a gain of 10% versus the 2024-25 campaign.

I wonder what the ratings would be if the games were watchable???

[Michael K.]

Watch all you want dude. You are one of the few I know that don't gamble or take part in Fantasy Football and still watch religiously. It's a shitty product, and one I have become tired of. I posted some stats of my own in your thread about McDonald. On a pace to set modern NFL records for flags in a season, and the crew that did Seattle's game yesterday has now officiated four games. One had 27 penalties and another 30. Yep, nothing to see here.

Its disgusting. Again, because you think its fun product to watch doesn't necessarily make it so. I've watched less football this year than ever. I stopped watching college a few years ago, and the pro game is about to get less and less of my time as well.

[douche]

Is it possible that the officiating is terrible simply because the officials are terrible? Because the NHL isn't much different. Shit calls, phantom calls, blatant infractions where no penalty is called...

Yet NHL commissioner Bettman will tell you all day long that NHL officials are the best in the world. Which is completely laughable. If it wasn't so pathetic.

[Michael K.]

I completely agree that they just suck. The NFL makes more money than they know what to do with, and the guys that officiate the game are still not full time employees. So, yes, IMO? They suck because they suck, and that is in big part due to the fact that it's not their full time job.

Employment Status

• Part-time/Seasonal: The NFL classifies its roughly 120-124 game officials as seasonal, part-time employees or contractors. Their formal on-field contracts run from the preseason in August through the Super Bowl in February.

• Outside Careers: Because it is not a year-round, full-time position with the league, the vast majority of NFL refs maintain separate, full-time day jobs. Common professions among them include lawyers, financial advisors, business executives, engineers, and accountants.

• Pay and Benefits: While part-time, top-tier officials earn substantial salaries—averaging over $200,000 to upwards of $350,000 per season depending on experience and bonuses—they also receive select benefits like a 401(k) plan and travel stipends, though some off-season training obligations remain unpaid.

• Public Consensus: As noted in discussions across platforms like Reddit, users widely express surprise and debate the logic behind major professional sports leagues operating with part-time officiating crews. Analysts and figures like former head of officiating Mike Pereira have long advocated for making at least the primary crew chiefs (white hats) full-time employees to boost consistency, but the league continues to rely on the part-time model

Now, how many part time jobs pay $200 to $350 K!? But still. Make them full time and require them to do more stuff off season to prepare to be, well....less shitty!

[Donn Beach]

The consensus opinion of NFL fans toward officiating is overwhelmingly negative, characterized by deep frustration over perceived inconsistency, a lack of transparency, and the feeling that referees are increasingly inserting themselves into the outcome of games

Yes, the National Football League (NFL) continues to grow in popularity, driven by surging domestic television viewership, massive financial revenue, and aggressive international expansion

Go figure

[Michael K.]

It can't grow much more nationally. So? They of course don't care what we feel about it anyway. The game being played over seas, which sucks in my opinion....is what they care about. International growth. The people who just started watching football doesn't know that the game has been sissified.

As for breaking down every call and saying, maybe they should flag this. That is a problem, IMO. We are only looking at what they flagged, and not looking at games from five years ago and what they did NOT flag. The game don't flow anymore, because every third play we have to look at the officials while they huddle together to try and figure out what they called.

Every incomplete pass is a complaint about a PI. Ever time a QB hits you hold your breath if you are a fan of the defense and scream "roughing" if you aren't. The game is as close to unwatchable as ever....which is why I don't watch as much. End of story.

[Donn Beach]

Oh they care. Overseas expansion is great and all that but it's franchise value appreciation that's driving the train. What was it, $200 mil to $9 billion over the course of the Allen ownership? I can't begin to wrap my brain around it. That's the golden goose.

[D-train]

Are we really that desperate for a CB that was close to a bust even before he got arrested??? He is now officially associated with a criminal that is going to the big house for TEN YEARS.

By Bob Condotta
Seattle Times staff reporter
Boakai Hilton, a co-defendant in the case against Seahawks cornerback Terrion Arnold, pleaded guilty Monday to charges of kidnapping and robbery and was sentenced to 10 years in Florida state prison.

The plea requires him to testify truthfully in any future proceedings in the case, according to a statement from the state attorney’s office inHillsborough County, Fla.

Related Why the Seahawks bet on Terrion Arnold amid felony charges
Arnold’s case is ongoing. He was charged with eight counts in connection with what prosecutors call a revenge plot against people he believed had stolen more than $250,000 from him during a stay at an Airbnb. Hilton is one of six co-defendants in the case.

After the charges were revealed in June, he was waived by the Detroit Lions, who drafted him 24th overall out of Alabama in 2024.

[D-train]

Watch all you want dude. You are one of the few I know that don't gamble or take part in Fantasy Football and still watch religiously. It's a shitty product, and one I have become tired of. I posted some stats of my own in your thread about McDonald. On a pace to set modern NFL records for flags in a season, and the crew that did Seattle's game yesterday has now officiated four games. One had 27 penalties and another 30. Yep, nothing to see here.

Its disgusting. Again, because you think its fun product to watch doesn't necessarily make it so. I've watched less football this year than ever. I stopped watching college a few years ago, and the pro game is about to get less and less of my time as well.

Cool dude. Maybe you and AA can team up for an NFL Podcast about games you don't watch. lol