The NBA has definately been manipulated
The LA vs. Sacramento series in 2006 was definately fixed.
In basketball it is easy. All you need to do is assign refs that call games that favour one style of play of another. If a team plays real physical defense calling lots of touch fouls virtually hands the game to the other team.
Basebal owners entirely ignored the steroids era in an effort to boost ratings and then cracked down on players when public perception turned on them. Their blind eye toward steroids was definately manipulating the game in favour of TV ratings.
Football so much money is bet on it that any manipulation would be readily caught and there isn't much to gain in getting better playoff matchups in football as the superbowl is already a spectacle regardless of whose in it and you aren't selling a playoff series just single games so it is easier to hold interest.
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