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sports conspiracy theories: The 30 Greatest Sports Conspiracy Theories of All-Time Elliott Kalb, Mark Weinstein, 2009-07 In this book, long-time TV sports statistician and self-professed skeptic Elliot Kalb examines the most notorious conspiracies in sports history-in baseball and football, the NBA and the NHL, the racetrack and the prize ring, and beyond. Separating myth from fact, Kalb attempts to determine which of these long-held conspiracy theories hold water, and which ones fall flat under scrutiny. He thoroughly evaluates conspiracies like the possible fixing of Super Bowl III, Sonny Liston throwing his fights with Muhammad Ali, and why Michael Jordan retired from basketball the first time. In this updated addition, he also includes sections on Spygate, questioning whether or not the Patriots had footage of the Rams walk-through before Super Bowl XXXVI; the 1973 tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King, which Riggs may have thrown; and the controversy surrounding Roger Clemens, who has never failed a drug test, yet seems destined to be hanged with the steroids rope |
sports conspiracy theories: The 25 Greatest Sports Conspiracy Theories of All Time Elliott Kalb, 2011-02-11 In every sport, in every country around the world, there are fans on the losing side who know that something other than skill and luck beat their favorite team or player. Sometimes they’re actually right. That’s why sports lovers will devour this inside look at the 25 biggest myths and scandals in professional and collegiate athletics. Elliott Kalb examines each potential outrage in detail, supporting and debunking popular beliefs along the way. In some cases, proof does exist that the “fix” was in—like the 1919 World Series thrown by the Chicago “Black” Sox players or the conspiracy to keep African Americans out of Major League Baseball until 1947. In others, there remain only whispers of wrongdoing and suspicious circumstances, including the Jets’ win in Super Bowl III and Muhammad Ali’s first-round knockout of Sonny Liston. This is sure to capture the imagination of anyone who has ever wondered what really happened behind the scenes. |
sports conspiracy theories: Stuff They Don't Want You to Know Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick, Noel Brown, 2022-10-11 “Interesting...Bowlin's calmly rational approach to the subject of conspiracy theories shows the importance of logic and evidence.”—Booklist A page-turning book to give to someone who believes in pizza pedophilia or that the Illuminati rule the world.—Kirkus Reviews The co-hosts of the hit podcast Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know, Ben Bowlin, Matthew Frederick, & Noel Brown, discern conspiracy fact from fiction in this sharp, humorous, compulsively readable, and gorgeously illustrated book. In times of chaos and uncertainty, when trust is low and economic disparity is high, when political institutions are crumbling and cultural animosities are building, conspiracy theories find fertile ground. Many are wild, most are untrue, a few are hard to ignore, but all of them share one vital trait: there’s a seed of truth at their center. That seed carries the sordid, conspiracy-riddled history of our institutions and corporations woven into its DNA. Ben Bowlin, Matt Frederick, and Noel Brown host the popular iHeart Media podcast, Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know. They are experts at exploring, explaining, and interrogating today’s emergent conspiracies—from chem trails and biological testing to the secrets of lobbying and the indisputable evidence of UFOs. Written in a smart, witty, and conversational style, elevated with amazing illustrations, Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know is a vital book in understanding the nature of conspiracy and using truth as a powerful weapon against ignorance, misinformation, and lies. |
sports conspiracy theories: The Fix Is In Brian Tuohy, 2010-04-01 Professional sports in America: it’s all about fair play and the goal of winning championships. At least that’s the spin. But could it be a massive showbiz operation filled with greedy owners, crooked referees, and coddled players, all with the unstated goal of grabbing as much money as possible? Author Brian Tuohy provides a full-sourced saga of the corruption that has infected the storied histories of the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, and NASCAR. With reality obscured by a complacent and often complicit sports media, The Fix Is In shines a light on a hidden history of clandestine arrangements between television networks and sports leagues, all against a background of drinking, drugging, and crime. Finally, here’s a book that unflinchingly examines the sordid underbelly of the American sports industry. Brian Tuohy maintains the website thefixisin.net and is a frequent contributor to the CBS Sports website bleacherreport.com, where he chronicles sports scandals and conspiracies as the stories break. Brian has been interviewed by The New York Times, ESPN, Fox Sports, and The Power Hour radio program. |
sports conspiracy theories: Personal Foul Tim Donaghy, 2010-06-29 The media has often speculated and sports fans have debated, but until now no one has known the real story. Personal Foul takes an in-depth look at former NBA referee Tim Donaghy and the betting scandal that rocked professional basketball. This is the decisive book that reveals exactly what was done and how it all happened. Which games were affected and how? Did referees target particular players or teams? Just how much did the NBA know and when? How did the mafia get involved? The book answers all of these questions and more. Thrilling and poignant, Personal Foul takes readers on the journey of one man wrestling his own demons and shines a light on a culture of gambling and directive officiating in the NBA that promises to change the way sports fans view the game forever. The book also includes a foreword by Phil Scala, the FBI Special Agent who worked the Gambino case. |
sports conspiracy theories: Conspiracy Theory in America Lance deHaven-Smith, 2013-04-15 Asserts that the Founders' hard-nosed realism about the likelihood of elite political misconduct—articulated in the Declaration of Independence—has been replaced by today's blanket condemnation of conspiracy beliefs as ludicrous by definition. |
sports conspiracy theories: Conspiracy Theories in the Arab World Matthew Gray, 2010-07-12 Conspiracism, while not unique to the Middle East, is a salient feature of the political discourses of the region. This book discounts the common pathological explanation for conspiricism and instead investigates the political structures and dynamics that have created and shaped the phenomenon of conspiricism in the contemporary Middle East. |
sports conspiracy theories: Real Enemies Kathryn S. Olmsted, 2009-01-02 Many Americans believe that their own government is guilty of shocking crimes. Government agents shot the president. They faked the moon landing. They stood by and allowed the murders of 2,400 servicemen in Hawaii. Although paranoia has been a feature of the American scene since the birth of the Republic, in Real Enemies Kathryn Olmsted shows that it was only in the twentieth century that strange and unlikely conspiracy theories became central to American politics. In particular, she posits World War I as a critical turning point and shows that as the federal bureaucracy expanded, Americans grew more fearful of the government itself--the military, the intelligence community, and even the President. Analyzing the wide-spread suspicions surrounding such events as Pearl Harbor, the JFK assassination, Watergate, and 9/11, Olmsted sheds light on why so many Americans believe that their government conspires against them, why more people believe these theories over time, and how real conspiracies--such as the infamous Northwoods plan--have fueled our paranoia about the governments we ourselves elect. |
sports conspiracy theories: Conspiracy Theories and Secret Societies For Dummies Christopher Hodapp, Alice Von Kannon, 2011-02-04 Entering the world of conspiracy theories and secret societies is like stepping into a distant, parallel universe where the laws of physics have completely changed: black means white, up is down, and if you want to understand what’s really going on, you need a good reference book. That’s where Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies comes in. Whether you’re a skeptic or a true believer, this fascinating guide, packed with the latest information, walks you through some of the most infamous conspiracy theories — such as Area 51 and the assassination of JFK — and introduces you to such mysterious organizations as the Freemasons, the Ninjas, the Mafia, and Rosicrucians. This behind-the-curtain guide helps you separate fact from fiction and helps you the global impact of these mysterious events and groups on our modern world. Discover how to: Test a conspiracy theory Spot a sinister secret society Assess the Internet’s role in fueling conspiracy theories Explore world domination schemes Evaluate 9/11 conspiracy theories Figure out who “they” are Grasp the model on which conspiracy theories are built Figure out whether what “everybody knows” is true Distinguish on assassination brotherhood from another Understand why there’s no such thing as a “lone assassin” Why do hot dogs come in packages of ten, while buns come in eight-packs? Everybody knows its a conspiracy, right? Find out in Conspiracy Theories & Secret Societies For Dummies. |
sports conspiracy theories: The Giants Win the Pennant! the Giants Win the Pennant! Bobby Thomson, Lee Heiman, Bill Gutman, 2001-03 It's been called The Shot Heard Round the World, the miracle home run hit by Bobby Thomson that won the National League pennant for the Giants -- and is considered one of the most dramatic moments in baseball history. Now, in his own words, Bobby Thomson tells the complete story of that incredible event with fascinating details only he can provide. |
sports conspiracy theories: Sandy Hook Elizabeth Williamson, 2023-03-07 Slate, 25 Best Crime Books, Podcasts, and Documentaries of All Time Vanity Fair’s “Books We Can't Stop Thinking About” Carnegie Medal Nonfiction Longlist 2023 The Washington Post Best Non-Fiction Books of 2022 Publishers Weekly Best Books 2022 Kirkus Best Non-Fiction Books of 2022 Slate Best Books 2022 Chicago Tribune Best Books 2022 Los Angeles Times Best Books 2022 Based on hundreds of hours of research, interviews, and access to exclusive sources and materials, Sandy Hook is Elizabeth Williamson’s landmark investigation of the aftermath of a school shooting, the work of Sandy Hook parents who fought to defend themselves, and the truth of their children’s fate against the frenzied distortions of online deniers and conspiracy theorists. On December 14, 2012, a gunman killed twenty first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Ten years later, Sandy Hook has become a foundational story of how false conspiracy narratives and malicious misinformation have gained traction in society. One of the nation’s most devastating mass shootings, Sandy Hook was used to create destructive and painful myths. Driven by ideology or profit, or for no sound reason at all, some people insisted it never occurred, or was staged by the federal government as a pretext for seizing Americans’ firearms. They tormented the victims’ relatives online, accosted them on the street and at memorial events, accusing them of faking their loved ones’ murders. Some family members have been stalked and forced into hiding. A gun was fired into the home of one parent. Present at the creation of this terrible crusade was Alex Jones’s Infowars, a far-right outlet that aired noxious Sandy Hook theories to millions and raised money for the conspiracy theorists’ quest to “prove” the shooting didn’t happen. Enabled by Facebook, YouTube, and other social media companies’ failure to curb harmful content, the conspiracists’ questions grew into suspicion, suspicion grew into demands for more proof, and unanswered demands turned into rage. This pattern of denial and attack would come to characterize some Americans’ response to almost every major event, from mass shootings to the coronavirus pandemic to the 2020 presidential election, in which President Trump’s false claims of a rigged result prompted the January 6, 2021, assault on a bastion of democracy, the U.S. Capitol. The Sandy Hook families, led by the father of the youngest victim, refused to accept this. Sandy Hook is the story of their battle to preserve their loved ones’ legacies even in the face of threats to their own lives. Through exhaustive reporting, narrative storytelling, and intimate portraits, Sandy Hook is the definitive book on one of the most shocking cultural ruptures of the internet era. |
sports conspiracy theories: American Conspiracy Theories Joseph E. Uscinski, Joseph M. Parent, 2014 Conspiracies theories are some of the most striking features in the American political landscape: the Kennedy assassination, aliens at Roswell, subversion by Masons, Jews, Catholics, or communists, and modern movements like Birtherism and Trutherism. But what do we really know about conspiracy theories? Do they share general causes? Are they becoming more common? More dangerous? Who is targeted and why? Who are the conspiracy theorists? How has technology affected conspiracy theorising? This book offers the first century-long view of these issues. |
sports conspiracy theories: Suspicious Minds Rob Brotherton, 2017-01-03 Suspicious Minds decodes the psychology of why we all believe in conspiracy theories--some of us just hide it better than others. |
sports conspiracy theories: Conspiracy Theories Joseph E. Uscinski, 2020-01-15 Conspiracy theories are a part of the human condition. Everyone believes at least one, but given the number of conspiracy theories, it is more likely that everyone believes a few. Some people have a worldview defined by them. Conspiracy theories are just another reminder that people disagree about many things, including truth. These disagreements have always existed and always will. We have to live with conspiracy theories and with the people who believe them. The only way to do this is have compassion and tolerance for others, and to hold our own beliefs to high standards. This book introduces students to the research into conspiracy theories and the people who propagate and believe them. In doing so, it addresses the psychological, sociological, and political sources of conspiracy theorizing Uscinski rigorously analyzes the most current arguments and evidence while providing numerous real-world examples so students can contextualize the current debates. Each chapter addresses important current questions, provides conceptual tools, defines important terms, and introduces the appropriate methods of analysis. |
sports conspiracy theories: Voodoo Histories David Aaronovitch, 2010-02-04 Meticulous in its research, forensic in its reasoning, robust in its argument, and often hilarious in its debunking... a highly entertaining rumble with the century's major conspiracy theorists and their theories. --John Lahr, National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of Tennessee Williams From an award-winning journalist, a history so funny, so true, so scary, it's bound to be called a conspiracy. Our age is obsessed by the idea of conspiracy. We see it everywhere- from Pearl Harbor to 9/11, from the assassination of Kennedy to the death of Diana. In this age of terrorism we live in, the role of conspiracy is a serious one, one that can fuel radical or fringe elements to violence. For David Aaronovitch, there came a time when he started to see a pattern among these inflammatory theories. these theories used similarly murky methods with which to insinuate their claims: they linked themselves to the supposed conspiracies of the past (it happened then so it can happen now); they carefully manipulated their evidence to hide its holes; they relied on the authority of dubious academic sources. Most important, they elevated their believers to membership of an elite- a group of people able to see beyond lies to a higher reality. But why believe something that entails stretching the bounds of probability so far? In this entertaining and enlightening book, he examines why people believe conspiracy theories, and makes an argument for a true skepticism: one based on a thorough knowledge of history and a strong dose of common sense. |
sports conspiracy theories: Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories, The (3rd) James McConnachie, Robin Tudge, 2013-02-01 Fully revised and updated, The Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories sorts the myths from the realities, the allegations from the explanations and the paranoid from the probable. Who might be trying to convince us that climate change is or isn't real? What is the truth behind the death of Osama bin Laden and is he still alive? When did the CIA start experimenting with mind control? Where is the HAARP installation and did it have anything to do with the Japanese tsunami disaster? Why is surveillance in our cities and online so widespread and what are the real benefits? This definitive guide to the world's most controversial conspiracies wanders through a maze of sinister secrets, suspicious cover-ups hidden agendas and clandestine operations to explore all these questions - and many many more. Now available in ePub format. |
sports conspiracy theories: The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories Jan-Willem van Prooijen, 2018 Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- CONTENTS -- Preface -- 1 Psychology of conspiracy theories -- 2 When do people believe conspiracy theories? -- 3 The architecture of belief -- 4 The social roots of conspiracy theories -- 5 Conspiracy theories and ideology -- 6 Explaining and reducing conspiracy theories -- Further reading -- Notes -- References |
sports conspiracy theories: Secrets and Conspiracies Olli Loukola, Leonidas Donskis, 2022 This collection purports to provide a sober analysis of the much debated issues and tries to develop and outline conceptual and theoretical tools to make sense of what secrets and conspiracies truly are-- |
sports conspiracy theories: Conspiracy Theories and Other Dangerous Ideas Cass R. Sunstein, 2014 A collection of controversial essays touches upon an array of issues, from marriage equality and conspiracy theories to animal rights. |
sports conspiracy theories: Debunked! Richard Roeper, 2008-06 A breezy but fact-filled dissection of more than two dozen of the most popular urban legends and conspiracy theories of the 21st century. |
sports conspiracy theories: Conspiracy Theories Kate Tuckett, 2005-08 Exposes famous and infamous conspiracy theories throughout history, including the JFK Assassination, Area 51, the death of Princess Diana, 9/11, and the Men in Black. |
sports conspiracy theories: Conspiracy Daniel Pipes, 1999-05-01 A solid sketch of a difficult and intriguing topic without indulging in sensationalism (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 1997). Was AIDS intentionally inflicted upon blacks by whites? Was JFK assassinated as part of an intricate conspiracy? Pipes traces conspiracy theories through history to show that Conspiracism—genuine and virulent belief in a conspiracy—dates back to the First Crusade and reached a peak in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, with the focus shifting from the Jews, groups such as Freemasons and the Rosicrucians, and back again. —DanielPipes.org |
sports conspiracy theories: A Companion to Applied Philosophy Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen, Kimberley Brownlee, David Coady, 2016-11-14 Applied philosophy has been a growing area of research for the last 40 years. Until now, however, almost all of this research has been centered around the field of ethics. A Companion to Applied Philosophy breaks new ground, demonstrating that all areasof philosophy, including epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science, and philosophy of mind, can be applied, and are relevant to questions of everyday life. This perennial topic in philosophy provides an overview of these various applied philosophy developments, highlighting similarities and differences between various areas of applied philosophy, and examining the very nature of this topic. It is an area to which many of the towering figures in the history of philosophy have contributed, and this timely Companion demonstrates how various historical contributions are actually contributions within applied philosophy, even if they are not traditionally seen as such. The Companion contains 42 essays covering major areas of philosophy; the articles themselves are all original contributions to the literature and represent the state of the art on this topic, as well as offering a map to the current debates. |
sports conspiracy theories: The Mysterious Affair at Olivetti Meryle Secrest, 2019 The human, business, design, engineering, cold war, and tech story of how the Olivetti company's first desktop computer, the P101, came to be. Within eighteen months it had caught up with, and surpassed, IBM, the American giant that had become an arm of the American government. Secrest tells how Olivetti made inroads into the US market in 1959 by taking control of Underwood of Hartford CT as an assembly plant for Olivetti's own typewriters and future miniaturized personal computers. Within a week of the purchase, the US government filed an antitrust suit to try to stop it. In 1960 Adriano Olivetti died suddenly of a heart attack; eighteen months later the young engineer who had assembled Olivetti's team of electronic engineers was killed in a suspicious car crash. The Olivetti company and the P101 came to an insidious and shocking end. -- adapted from jacket |
sports conspiracy theories: What's My Name, Fool? Dave Zirin, 2011-02 In Whats My Name, Fool? sports writer Dave Zirin shows how sports express the worst - and at times the most creative, exciting, and political - features of our society. Zirins sharp and insightful commentary on the personalities, politics, and history of American sports is unlike any sports writing being done today. Zirin explores how NBA brawls highlight tensions beyond the arena, how the bold stances taken by sports unions can chart a path for the entire labor movement, and the unexplored political stirrings of a new generation of athletes who are no longer content to just ''play one game at a time.'' Whats My Name, Fool? draws on original interviews with former heavyweight champ George Foreman, Olympic athlete John Carlos, NBA player and anti-death penalty activist Etan Thomas, antiwar womens college hoopster Toni Smith, Olympic Project for Human Rights leader Lee Evans and many others. It also unearths a history of athletes ranging from Jackie Robinson to Muhammad Ali to Billie Jean King, who charted a new course through their athletic ability and their outspoken views. |
sports conspiracy theories: Conspiracies Declassified Brian Dunning, 2018-06-05 A collection of the wildest conspiracies to ever exist, from mind control experiments to lizard people, this book explores, debunks—and sometimes proves—the secret stories that don’t quite make it into the history books. What’s fact and what’s fiction? With conspiracy theories, sometimes it’s hard to get to the truth! In Conspiracies Declassified, author and expert skeptic Brian Dunning explains fifty true stories of famous conspiracies throughout history. From the moon landing hoax, to chemtrails, to the mind control dangers of fluoride, Dunning is here to sort the truth from the lies to tell you what really happened. |
sports conspiracy theories: Jewish Jocks Franklin Foer, Marc Tracy, 2012-10-30 A collection of essays by today's preeminent writers on significant Jewish figures in sports, told with humor, heart, and an eye toward the ever elusive question of Jewish identity. Jewish Jocks: An Unorthodox Hall of Fame is a timeless collection of biographical musings, sociological riffs about assimilation, first-person reflections, and, above all, great writing on some of the most influential and unexpected pioneers in the world of sports. Featuring work by today's preeminent writers, these essays explore significant Jewish athletes, coaches, broadcasters, trainers, and even team owners (in the finite universe of Jewish Jocks, they count!). Contributors include some of today's most celebrated writers covering a vast assortment of topics, including David Remnick on the biggest mouth in sports, Howard Cosell; Jonathan Safran Foer on the prodigious and pugnacious Bobby Fischer; Man Booker Prize-winner Howard Jacobson writing elegantly on Marty Reisman, America's greatest ping-pong player and the sport's ultimate showman. Deborah Lipstadt examines the continuing legacy of the Munich Massacre, the fortieth anniversary of which coincided with the 2012 London Olympics. Jane Leavy reveals why Sandy Koufax agreed to attend her daughter's bat mitzvah. And we learn how Don Lerman single-handedly thrust competitive eating into the public eye with three pounds of butter and 120 jalapeño peppers. These essays are supplemented by a cover design and illustrations throughout by Mark Ulriksen. From settlement houses to stadiums and everywhere in between, Jewish Jock features men and women who do not always fit the standard athletic mold. Rather, they utilized talents long prized by a people of the book (and a people of commerce) to game these games to their advantage, in turn forcing the rest of the world to either copy their methods -- or be left in their dust. |
sports conspiracy theories: A Cruel and Shocking Act Philip Shenon, 2013-10-29 A groundbreaking, explosive account of the Kennedy assassination that will rewrite the history of the 20th century's most controversial murder investigation The questions have haunted our nation for half a century: Was the President killed by a single gunman? Was Lee Harvey Oswald part of a conspiracy? Did the Warren Commission discover the whole truth of what happened on November 22, 1963? Philip Shenon, a veteran investigative journalist who spent most of his career at The New York Times, finally provides many of the answers. Though A Cruel and Shocking Act began as Shenon's attempt to write the first insider's history of the Warren Commission, it quickly became something much larger and more important when he discovered startling information that was withheld from the Warren Commission by the CIA, FBI and others in power in Washington. Shenon shows how the commission's ten-month investigation was doomed to fail because the man leading it – Chief Justice Earl Warren – was more committed to protecting the Kennedy family than getting to the full truth about what happened on that tragic day. A taut, page-turning narrative, Shenon's book features some of the most compelling figures of the twentieth century—Bobby Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover, Chief Justice Warren, CIA spymasters Allen Dulles and Richard Helms, as well as the CIA's treacherous molehunter, James Jesus Angleton. Based on hundreds of interviews and unprecedented access to the surviving commission staffers and many other key players, Philip Shenon's authoritative, scrupulously researched book will forever change the way we think about the Kennedy assassination and about the deeply flawed investigation that followed. A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2013 |
sports conspiracy theories: Minestrone for the Mobster's Soul Bobby Madura, Joey DiBruno, 2008 Chicago authors Madura and DiBruno explain how mob and mafia movies reflect the values of today's society. |
sports conspiracy theories: Them Jon Ronson, 2011-06-28 A wide variety of extremist groups -- Islamic fundamentalists, neo-Nazis -- share the oddly similar belief that a tiny shadowy elite rule the world from a secret room. In Them, journalist Jon Ronson has joined the extremists to track down the fabled secret room. As a journalist and a Jew, Ronson was often considered one of Them but he had no idea if their meetings actually took place. Was he just not invited? Them takes us across three continents and into the secret room. Along the way he meets Omar Bakri Mohammed, considered one of the most dangerous men in Great Britain, PR-savvy Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard Thom Robb, and the survivors of Ruby Ridge. He is chased by men in dark glasses and unmasked as a Jew in the middle of a Jihad training camp. In the forests of northern California he even witnesses CEOs and leading politicians -- like Dick Cheney and George Bush -- undertake a bizarre owl ritual. Ronson's investigations, by turns creepy and comical, reveal some alarming things about the looking-glass world of us and them. Them is a deep and fascinating look at the lives and minds of extremists. Are the extremists onto something? Or is Jon Ronson becoming one of them? |
sports conspiracy theories: Gaming the World Andrei S. Markovits, Lars Rensmann, 2013-12 Professional sports today have truly become a global force, a common language that anyone, regardless of their nationality, can understand. Yet sports also remain distinctly local, with regional teams and the fiercely loyal local fans that follow them. This book examines the twenty-first-century phenomenon of global sports, in which professional teams and their players have become agents of globalization while at the same time fostering deep-seated and antagonistic local allegiances and spawning new forms of cultural conflict and prejudice. |
sports conspiracy theories: Scorecasting Tobias Moskowitz, L. Jon Wertheim, 2012-01-17 In Scorecasting, University of Chicago behavioral economist Tobias Moskowitz teams up with veteran Sports Illustrated writer L. Jon Wertheim to overturn some of the most cherished truisms of sports, and reveal the hidden forces that shape how basketball, baseball, football, and hockey games are played, won and lost. Drawing from Moskowitz's original research, as well as studies from fellow economists such as bestselling author Richard Thaler, the authors look at: the influence home-field advantage has on the outcomes of games in all sports and why it exists; the surprising truth about the universally accepted axiom that defense wins championships; the subtle biases that umpires exhibit in calling balls and strikes in key situations; the unintended consequences of referees' tendencies in every sport to swallow the whistle, and more. Among the insights that Scorecasting reveals: • Why Tiger Woods is prone to the same mistake in high-pressure putting situations that you and I are • Why professional teams routinely overvalue draft picks • The myth of momentum or the hot hand in sports, and why so many fans, coaches, and broadcasters fervently subscribe to it • Why NFL coaches rarely go for a first down on fourth-down situations--even when their reluctance to do so reduces their chances of winning. In an engaging narrative that takes us from the putting greens of Augusta to the grid iron of a small parochial high school in Arkansas, Scorecasting will forever change how you view the game, whatever your favorite sport might be. |
sports conspiracy theories: The Psychology of Conspiracy Michal Bilewicz, Aleksandra Cichocka, Wiktor Soral, 2015-05-15 Why did the third World Trade Center building (WTC7) collapse on September 11th , even though it was not struck by any aircraft? Why did Princess Diana’s drunk driver look sober as he climbed into the car minutes before their deadly accident? Could a slender birch tree really have caused the plane crash which killed the President of Poland in 2010? ‘Conspiracy thinking’ – the search for explanations of significant global events in clandestine plots, suppressed knowledge and the secret actions of elite groups – provides simple and logical answers to the social doubts and uncertainties that occur at times of major national and international crises. Contemporary social psychology seeks to explain the human motivation to create, share and receive conspiracy theories, and to shed light on the consequences of these theories for people’s social and political functioning. This important collection, written by leading researchers in the field, is the first to apply quantitative empirical findings to the subject of conspiracy theorizing. The first section of the book explores conspiracy theories in the context of group perception and intergroup relations, paying particular attention to anti-Semitic conspiracy stereotypes. It then goes on to examine the relationship between an individual’s political ideology and the degree to which they engage in ‘conspiracy thinking’. The concluding part of the book considers the explanatory power of conspiracy, focusing on the link between social paranoia and digital media, and highlighting the social, political, and environmental consequences of conspiracy theories. The Psychology of Conspiracy will be of great interest to academics and researchers in social and political psychology, and a valuable resource to those in the fields of social policy, anthropology, political science, and cultural studies. |
sports conspiracy theories: Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories Michael Butter, 2020 Taking a global and interdisciplinary approach, the Routledge Handbook of Conspiracy Theories provides a comprehensive overview of conspiracy theories as an important social, cultural and political phenomenon in contemporary life. This handbook provides the most complete analysis of the phenomenon to date. It analyses conspiracy theories from a variety of perspectives, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. It maps out the key debates, and includes chapters on the historical origins of conspiracy theories, as well as their political significance in a broad range of countries and regions. Other chapters consider the psychology and the sociology of conspiracy beliefs, in addition to their changing cultural forms, functions and modes of transmission. This handbook examines where conspiracy theories come from, who believes in them, and what their consequences are. This book presents an important resource for students and scholars from a range of disciplines interested in the societal and political impact of conspiracy theories, including Area Studies, Anthropology, History, Media and Cultural Studies, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology-- |
sports conspiracy theories: The Paranoid Style in American Politics Richard Hofstadter, 2008-06-10 This timely reissue of Richard Hofstadter's classic work on the fringe groups that influence American electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs.In The Paranoid Style in American Politics, acclaimed historian Richard Hofstadter examines the competing forces in American political discourse and how fringe groups can influence — and derail — the larger agendas of a political party. He investigates the politics of the irrational, shedding light on how the behavior of individuals can seem out of proportion with actual political issues, and how such behavior impacts larger groups. With such other classic essays as “Free Silver and the Mind of 'Coin' Harvey” and “What Happened to the Antitrust Movement?, ” The Paranoid Style in American Politics remains both a seminal text of political history and a vital analysis of the ways in which political groups function in the United States. |
sports conspiracy theories: The Jurisprudence of Sport Mitchell N. Berman, Richard D Friedman, 2021-04-26 This textbook, the first of its kind, makes it easy--and fun!--to teach an exciting new course on the jurisprudence of sport. Unlike sports law, which treats sports as objects of regulation by ordinary legal systems, this course treats sports and games as legal systems to be studied in their own right. The book is appropriate not only for law students but also for undergraduates; it offers an introduction to legal thinking but requires no background in legal doctrine. Student-friendly and deeply comparative, the text draws examples from the world's most popular team and individual sports and games (including baseball, football, soccer, tennis, golf, gymnastics, chess, boxing, and esports) and also from less widely known competitions (competitive eating, cornhole, etc.). Chapters are organized in an intuitive sports-focused manner, covering such issues as scoring systems, penalties, league structure, player eligibility and assignment, amateurism, officiating, replay review, and cheating. The jurisprudence of sport is a fast-developing field of academic study. The authors, one of them a leading figure in the field and both professors at top law schools, maintain a high degree of analytical rigor and theoretical sophistication. Icons sprinkled throughout introduce students to fundamental concepts, some law-particular (such as rules vs. standards and prices vs. sanctions) and others from cognate disciplines (such as agency costs, the Coase Theorem, and psychological biases and heuristics). Richly filled with comments, questions, and exercises, the text facilitates a large variety of pedagogical approaches and is suitable for 2- to 4-credit courses. |
sports conspiracy theories: Encyclopaedia Britannica Hugh Chisholm, 1910 This eleventh edition was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time and it is considered to be a landmark encyclopaedia for scholarship and literary style. |
sports conspiracy theories: QAnon and Other Conspiracy Theories Kathryn Roberts, 2021-12-15 Anthology of curated essays addressing QAnon and conspiracy theories--why they begin, how they catch fire, and how they affect politics and society-- |
sports conspiracy theories: Kings of the Garden Adam J. Criblez, 2024-04-15 In Kings of the Garden, Adam J. Criblez traces the fall and rise of the New York Knicks between the 1973, the year they won their last NBA championship, and 1985, when the organization drafted Patrick Ewing and gave their fans hope after a decade of frustrations. During these years, the teams led by Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bob McAdoo, Spencer Haywood, and Bernard King never achieved tremendous on-court success, and their struggles mirrored those facing New York City over the same span. In the mid-seventies, as the Knicks lost more games than they won and played before smaller and smaller crowds, the city they represented was on the brink of bankruptcy, while urban disinvestment, growing income inequality, and street gangs created a feeling of urban despair. Kings of the Garden details how the Knicks' fortunes and those of New York City were inextricably linked. As the team's Black superstars enjoyed national fame, Black musicians, DJs, and B-boys in the South Bronx were creating a new culture expression—hip-hop—that like the NBA would become a global phenomenon. Criblez's fascinating account of the era shows that even though the team's efforts to build a dynasty ultimately failed, the Knicks, like the city they played in, scrappily and spectacularly symbolized all that was right—and wrong—with the NBA and the nation during this turbulent, creative, and momentous time. |
sports conspiracy theories: Research Handbook on Sport and COVID-19 Paul M. Pedersen, 2022-11-11 This timely Research Handbook examines sport-related research and analysis pertaining to how the sport industry has been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Taking stock of the changes over the course of the pandemic, it also provides key insights into how the sport industry and its stakeholders might move forward in post-pandemic times. |
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers - Game Highlights
Jun 10, 2025 · Watch the Game Highlights from Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers, 06/09/2025
Stanley Cup Final: Florida Panthers pound Edmonton ... - Yahoo …
Jun 10, 2025 · Brad Marchand #63 celebrates with Seth Jones #3 of the Florida Panthers after scoring against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period in Game Three of the 2025 Stanley …
2025 Stanley Cup Final odds: Edmonton Oilers open as ... - Yahoo …
May 30, 2025 · This season, the margin entering the series between the two teams is even smaller, as BetMGM opened the Oilers as -115 favorites and the Panthers at -105.. Edmonton …
Edmonton Oilers defeat Florida Panthers in overtime to take Game …
Jun 5, 2025 · A Canadian team hasn’t lifted the Stanley Cup in almost 32 years and now the Edmonton Oilers are one step closer to breaking that drought after defeating the Florida …
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers: How to watch Game 4 of the …
2 days ago · DIRECTV's MySports pack is a curated live TV package geared toward sports fans, with access to ESPN's suite of channels, TBS, TNT, USA, FS1 and an included subscription to …
Stanley Cup Final: Panthers, Oilers break out into major brawl amid ...
Jun 10, 2025 · The Florida Panthers took a 2-1 series lead with a 6-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.. However, the blowout result came …
Florida Panthers 3 - Edmonton Oilers 4: Final OT score, results, …
Edmonton Oilers come back from 2-goal deficit to force OT, defeat Florida Panthers in Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final Edmonton Oilers come back from 2-goal deficit to force OT, defeat Florida …
Florida star Alex Condon withdraws name from NBA Draft, will …
May 27, 2025 · Condon, who is Australian, averaged 10.6 points and 7.5 rebounds with the Gators last season. Those figures ranked fourth and first on the team, respectively.
Florida A&M athletic director arrested after allegedly stealing …
Jun 9, 2025 · Florida A&M athletic director Angela Suggs was arrested Monday after she allegedly stole thousands of dollars from her former job with a corporate credit card. Suggs …
NHL Stanley Cup 2025: Oilers' win over Stars sets up rematch …
May 30, 2025 · This year, the Stanley Cup Final will look familiar, as the Edmonton Oilers face off against the Florida Panthers for the second straight year. The 2024 Final rematch will begin …
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers - G…
Jun 10, 2025 · Watch the Game Highlights from Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton …
Stanley Cup Final: Florida Panthers pou…
Jun 10, 2025 · Brad Marchand #63 celebrates with Seth Jones #3 of the Florida Panthers after scoring …
2025 Stanley Cup Final odds: Edmonton Oile…
May 30, 2025 · This season, the margin entering the series between the two teams is even smaller, as BetMGM …
Edmonton Oilers defeat Florida Panthers in o…
Jun 5, 2025 · A Canadian team hasn’t lifted the Stanley Cup in almost 32 years and now the Edmonton Oilers …
Florida Panthers vs. Edmonton Oilers: Ho…
2 days ago · DIRECTV's MySports pack is a curated live TV package geared toward sports fans, with …