Re: Tombstones and tumbleweeds

Tim Byars (tbyars@earthlink.net)
Thu, 27 May 1999 22:19:42 -0700


On 5/27/99 at 11:48 PM -0400, Robert S. Thau got the crowd on it's
feet with this:

> One of the Boston sports talk shock jocks (Eddie Andelman --- not
> *entirely* a bad guy, does a lot of charity work, but...) is a
> wrestling fan, and is fond of making the claim that wrestling is the
> only major sport which has never had a betting scandal. Even if true
> (nothing you can guarantee; the guy has claimed on the air that New
> Hampshire's Lake Winnepisaukee is the size of Lake Michigan), you've
> gotta wonder about the relevance; what kind of idiot would be on a
> sport where everyone knows it's fixed?

Who would bet on the SuperBowl? Or a Tyson fight? Or the Kentucky Derby?

Let's look at the numbers. A big PPV like Wrestlemania draws 500,000
with a buy rate of $34.95.

Now, do you really think all those people are paying that to see
something they know the answer to? That is why Wrestling is as big as
it is. Your guy might not win. Or your guy might win in a way that you
could never have thought of. If it was as highly predictable as those
of you that know nothing about it assume, it wouldn't be pulling the
ratings that it is.

Tim

--

"If at first you don't succeed, come back and we'll beat you again." - Degeneration X

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