LAS VEGAS - As the Kansas City Chiefs celebrate their 25-22 OT win here in Las Vegas in Super Bowl LVIII - with pop star Taylor Swift along for the ride - right-wing political voices are creating conspiracy theories that extend to the sad idea that the NFL is "rigged'' in a way that will hand the 2024 presidential election to President Joe Biden over Donald Trump.
“I wonder who’s going to win the Super Bowl,” unsuccessful candidate Vivek Ramaswamy posted on Twitter before the game. “And I wonder if there’s a major presidential endorsement coming from an artificially culturally propped-up couple this fall.''
It is one thing - and both silly and damaging enough - for NFL watchers to suggest a Dallas Cowboys game is "fixed'' because Micah Parsons got held illegally ... yes, "silly,'' because if the world was conspiring against the Cowboys they a) wouldn't have gone 12-5 and b) well, the world would actually fix things in favor of the Cowboys, given the revenue if "America's Team'' was in the Super Bowl.
But to extend the ridiculousness to a presidential election?
Swift (and Chiefs boyfriend Travis Kelce) might very well endorse Biden, as she did in 2020. Meanwhile, their opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, might have employees or prominent fans who support Trump.
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But that is not only her and their right as celebrities - it's her and their rights as citizens. Indeed, many celebrities and citizens support Trump and other candidates.
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But to suggest that Swift is a dark pawn being puppet-stringed by sinister forces in a democracy-ruining conspiracy is frankly a way for political voices to manipulate the undereducated and under-informed. ... and it skips over a key point: Why would the NFL get involved in such an evil practice? Why would the NFL rig a game in favor of Biden, an action that would obviously go against the wishes not only of owners who don't want games rigged, but also against owners who support Trump?
Why can't an OT game between two fine teams simply be an OT game between two fine teams?