Conspiracies in Sports

People look at sports as harmless entertainment. But are they? Are they really?
I don't think so.
I think sports are fixed and rotten and controlled by the same sort of hidden hands and secret agreements that control everything else. I think 80 percent of what you see on ESPN and in Sports Illustrated consists of half-truths and agenda-driven disinformation. I think the real games take place off the field, away from the stadium lights, in luxury boxes and corporate offices, where the powerful and the faceless conspire to get richer, duping the public all the while.
I think the 1985 NBA Draft lottery was fixed, that other drafts have been rigged, that Tim Donaghy was telling the truth and that pro basketball refs do whatever their league bosses want them to do, including fixing games.
I think Michael Jordan's first retirement was a scam, and that the NBA was either about to crack down on his gambling addiction, or making him serve a gambling suspension in secret, the better to avoid a PR disaster.
I think that Super Bowl III was fixed for the Jets to win, so that the NFL-AFL merger would be seen as legitimate. I wouldn't be surprised if Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom bet against his own team, either.
I think Sonny Liston threw both of his fights with Muhammad Ali, because the mob and the Black Panthers wanted him to.
I think the entire NFL was founded by the mob and by bookies, and if you don't believe me, read Dan Moldea's "Interference."
I think the NFL's security department exists to cover up scandals and corruption, like the New England Patriots spying practices, which helped them cheat their way to Super Bowl victories.
I think NASCAR favors certain drivers.
I think every sports league favors certain teams and instructs their referees to do the same.
I think Pete Rose and Bart Giamatti had a secret reinstatement agreement.
I think Brazil threw the 1998 World Cup Final.
I think the United States has covered up hundreds of flunked drug tests by its Olympic athletes.
I think point shaving and game fixing is much more common than most people realize. I think it's easy to do and not get caught.
Am I crazy to think all of this? Am I the only person who does?