Given the recent sports-betting and gambling scandals, this seems like a relevant question: If we knew the game was fixed, would we still watch? You bet we would. And we would probably still bet on it, too.

It’s our nature. It’s entertainment, and we can’t resist.

Examples abound, including Hollywood and pro wrestling.

We go to most movies with a general idea of the outcome. Yes, the shark will chomp a few victims, but in the end it will be victimized. Butch and Sundance will rob some banks and trains but get run down eventually. And James Bond will always get the bad guy and the lady. Those outcomes are pre-ordained and expected, but knowing that in advance doesn’t stop us from watching and becoming emotionally involved.

Want a couple other examples? We play the lottery, despite astronomical odds against winning; and we spend billions in casinos, even though we know the house will almost always win.

Pro wrestling stands as a great example of our desire for entertainment, whatever the cost in suspending reality. It’s a scripted event with winners and losers predetermined. And yet, we watch, transfixed. (We even bet on it, although not legally in the U.S.)

Why?

In a 2022 article in Psychology Today, Christopher Dwyer tried to answer the question.

Some of it, he said, could be simply nostalgia. He watched with his dad as a youngster, so it reminds him of simpler times. It’s also exciting and entertaining with plenty of athleticism.

“Sure, pro-wrestling has predetermined outcomes, but it’s definitely not fake,” he wrote. “I’ve seen men get injured, break their necks, become paralyzed, and even lose their lives in the ring. What professional wrestlers put their bodies through is astounding, and, perhaps, that is part of the allure.”

Compelling characters and storylines also play a role.

“When I think of pro-wrestling — particularly in comparison with other sports, the word ‘pageantry’ immediately comes to mind,” Dwyer wrote. “Wrestling is full of storylines that are designed to get their good guy (i.e., the face) ‘over with the fans’ and generate ‘heat’ for their bad guys (i.e., heels). In a way, pro-wrestling creates a kind of ‘super-masculine soap opera.’ Yes, men like drama, too (whether or not some of them will admit to it).”

Nostalgia. Athleticism. Compelling characters and storylines.

Sounds a lot like the National Football League, doesn’t it?

We remember watching games with our dads. We marvel at the skill of Patrick Mahomes and Derrick Henry. We’re emotionally invested in rooting for and against perceived heroes and villains.

How much would it really matter if the games were scripted? We would still be treated to a steady diet of unknown outcomes, terrific plays and, now and then, a miraculous finish to believe in.

So would we still watch, still bet, still set our weekly fantasy lineups?

You bet we would.

Tim Wesley, a former sports writer and corporate communications executive, is the co-author of “Game Changers,” a sports fiction novel that speculates what could happen at the intersection of sports, gambling, government and big business. He lives in Cranberry Township.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)