Book Review - THE FIX IS IN, by Brian Tuohy

Is there another side to our professional sports that the media ignores? How much does the almighty dollar play into the outcomes of "pure competition" we see on television?

These questions get explored in great detail in Brian Tuohy's book, "The Fix Is In: The Showbiz Manipulations of the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and NASCAR". The book starts out with the outline of the main thesis:

"There are two histories of professional sports. There is the one that fans know and cherish, filled with great players, genius coaches, incredible plays, and dynasty teams."
"There is another history of the sporting world, however, that exists in the shadow created by the glaring spotlight of the sports media...Hall of Fame players are criminals, addicts, and gamblers; owners care more about profits than winning..."


From that alone this may seem like a man who has his own view on what is seen in the sporting world, but the book is filled with rather interesting facts that have to make a person wonder. 


There is a core theory, backed by quite a lot of research in the book, that because television ratings generated billions in revenue in recent years, it is imperative for these leagues to make sure that the audience is kept interested in the product. In Hollywood, script writers are employed to keep the shows interesting to keep viewers watching each week. Pro sports in general may not be scripted in the same extreme as WWE wrestling, but is it out of the question that certain strings are pulled to keep the most interesting players/teams in the spotlight? The notion that cities support local teams by giving these teams a majority of the revenue is simply not true. Television is where the money is. To rule television you must rule the ratings.

Television has come to dominate sports in many ways. It is no secret that things like the two minute warning in football were put into use to throw advertisements at the viewer while they were in a heightened emotional state while watching the end of a game. Also, the NFL and NBC have an agreement to use "flex" scheduling for their Sunday night games, as to televise in prime time the potentially most profitable game.

As far back as 1977, NFL teams were earning more in television revenue than gate receipts. If the NFL makes so much, then you can guess that the television networks themselves are making a killing on advertisements. The higher the ratings are for a show, the higher a network can charge for commercials. During the last Super Bowl, how much did it cost to run one commercial spot? Anywhere from 3.5 to 4 million dollars for a thirty second spot. Do you ever wonder why you never see the Browns in the Super Bowl? Certain teams generate better ratings, and those teams seem to catch all the breaks.

Every last bit of footage you see on television in regards to the NFL is controlled by the NFL. They have a complete stranglehold on what is shown, what is said, and how the game is portrayed. That is why you will never hear or see anything on ESPN that would truly jeopardize the sport. Yes, scandals break the news from time to time, but there has yet to be a major leak of the underbelly goings on that are common within the sport. Every scandal is looked at like a rare isolated incident. The NFL makes sure that the serious stories are controlled or outright squashed. Example; Chicago Bear Sam Hurd was arrested for attempting to sell multi kilos of cocaine to an undercover agent. Why was this not a major headlining story for days? It got very little attention. The NFL wants no fan questioning at length why a professional player who earns a nice paycheck had reasons to sell drugs on a grand scale.

MLB gets a hard look at as well in the book. The truth behind the MLB strike of 1994; what has been whitewashed over the years is that the players had very good reason to not trust the owners and decided to strike against them. During the 1980s, the owners were sued three different times by the players union, and eventually were rewarded almost $300 million in damages. So when negotiations broke down in 1994, the players felt the need to stand up for themselves. The owners greed nearly killed baseball, and their solution put a black eye on the game for years to come. That being the steroid era. The book goes into great detail on all of this.

Tuohy reveals shocking details of all major sports underbelly hidden truths. Alcoholics given a slap on the wrists, athletes trafficking cocaine, domestic violence, and sex scandals all plague the major sports, and the book explores it all.

The NBA has been criticized for years for either fixing games, or having the officials call games in favor of certain teams and players. Since 1980 the NBA has seen the Los Angeles Lakers win 10 titles, the Boston Celtics 4, the Chicago Bulls 6,  and the San Antonio Spurs 4. That is only four teams winning 24 titles in just over thirty years, and each of those teams had major stars to bank on. The Lakers have even been in 6 other finals that they lost; making it an average of every other year of them being in the Finals. Also take into consideration that the Rockets won back to back titles while Michael Jordan was "retired".

Jordan's retirement is yet another topic gone over in the book, and it is evident that his departure from the game may have been more of an unofficial suspension than anything. During his first title run, Bulls merchandise dominated sales, and the NBA rode the "Be Like Mike" campaign all the way to the bank. When the NBA found out that Jordan had a serious gambling problem they feared a widespread public backlash on the star player, which would be a disaster in possible revenue made. Convenient it is that while Jordan was gone, the NBA saw another star, Hakeem Olajowan, take his team, the Houston Rockets to back to back titles.

Anyway, like the title suggests, all major sports are exposed and discussed. The NHL and NASCAR are brought to light as well, but I will not go into every detail here.

The other major theme researched in regards to influence on professional sports is gambling. Sure, we all realize that Las Vegas exists. Yet why are their odds posts on every publication and website on the planet? Illegal gambling is widespread, and just how deep the tentacles of the underground gambling monster go are quite disturbing.

The book suggest that $35 billion dollars is wagered illegally each year on the NFL alone. The NFL total revenue doesn't even come close to that number. Fan interest is not just generated by television, but by people willing to "make it more interesting" for themselves by putting some hard earned cash on the line.

Just look at the NFL injury report. What is the true reason for even having it? Is it for other teams to figure out better strategies, or for the would be gambler who wants to know if a star player is going to be on the field that particular Sunday?

The influence of gambling has even been discussed on radio shows like Jim Rome, where a former mobster revealed that certain games were out righted fixed due to millions of dollars being on the line for a certain outcome. People who love sports may shrug the notion away, and think, "mobsters controlling sports? Sure." I suggest you read the book and look at the facts. At the very least it is possible.

Anyway, dear reader, I digress. If this kind of thing interests you then check it out when you can. Personally it makes me wonder, especially when I see such controversy arise after the weekend's boxing match between Bradly and Pacquiao.

It is also possible that the author took certain facts and connected the dots himself to make conclusions. He may or may not have the ultimate answers, but he at least brings several facts to the surface that cannot just ignored.