A child recently posed a surprise question to Brock Purdy, but he handled it with composure. The incident took place at the Youth Football Camp at Levi’s Stadium. The boy who is a part of the 650-member camp was at his curious best when he asked Purdy if the NFL was scripted.
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Responding to his innocent plea, Brock stated, “No, the NFL is not scripted,” and later applauded the child for posing a “good question.” While Brock Purdy didn’t reveal why he thinks the NFL is unscripted, his prompt response echoed his belief in the league’s commitment to fair play.
Meanwhile, the question voiced by a child proves that the heated debate that started in 2022 hasn’t died down after the 2024 NFL season. Earlier, after the 2022-23 season, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell responded to the question of whether the NFL is scripted when he attended the New Heights Show at Kansas City.
To this, Goodell quipped “When me and the NFL script writers got together earlier this year,” taking a veiled dig with his measured statement. However, what are the reasons to believe the league isn’t scripted?
Three reasons to believe that the NFL is original, not scripted
The first prominent reason is that scripting is a hectic process that involves every game, every team – and every play. Logically thinking, it sounds bizarre to state that a league can get thousands of players on board to ‘script’ an outcome for each game. It is impossible to perform such a process with precision and this argument takes away the claim that football games can be pre-empted.
The second reason is that no retired or active player has ever come on the record to state that the scripting exists in the NFL. This means that scripting allegations have not been factually proven and are mere speculations, at this point. Thirdly, an absence of cases in the US court or the NFLPA about such scripting rumors suggests that neither the NFL nor the players treat it as an issue.
Meanwhile, advocates who say the NFL is scripted argue that the league prepares storylines in advance, to move according to a plan. While such an argument invites attention, the question of how such activities are being planned by snubbing the watchful eyes of the media and fans still exists.
At the forefront, an issue like ‘Is the NFL scripted’ highlights the growing disengagement between the league officials and fans, because of the information vs misinformation factor. Perhaps the fans deserve more engagement from players and the NFL to resolve the conspiracy dilemma, like Purdy did, on Tuesday.
