Monday, August 29, 2011

"'The Fix is In' is the one book the 'powers that be' don't want you to read. So go ahead and read it," says Pete

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.




Pete says:
"As football season fast approaches, and as you plunk down your dollars for expensive tickets and over-priced beer, you might consider whether what you're seeing is a fair and square sporting competition, or whether you're just seeing what somebody wants you to see. If you've witnessed a sporting event that just didn't look right, an outcome that  seemed strange, then maybe, indeed, the fix was in.

Brian Tuohy's book cuts through all the bull we're expected to buy and goes after the big shots (the team owners, the star players, the tv network bosses) and degenerate gamblers who may or may not be controlling the outcomes of games. You'll read about the usual suspects, Pete Rose, Jose Canseco, the 1919 White Sox for example, but also the many, many other athletes who shaved points, ran with mobsters, and took whatever performance-enhancing drugs they could get their hands on. You'll read about the possible Super Bowl fixes like when the upstart 1969 Jets beat the powerhouse Colts, a 'guaranteed' win as the legend goes. My favorite part was about Super Bowl XL -- Pittsburgh vs. Seattle. Seattle was driving down the field and about to win that game when very strange penalties kept going against them. I thought, there's no way they'll be allowed to win this one. And of course, they didn't. The Fix is In is the one book the 'powers that be' don't want you to read. So go ahead and read it."

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