I think it is far more analogous to a market distortion caused by a popular team, like the Dallas Cowboys or the LA Lakers. I mean, I suppose someone could be trying to rig the market simply for the PR effect, but I am skeptical of the feasibility/likelihood of that. When Roaring Kitty rigs the Gamestop stock price, there is a way to make money off of it. Rigging a betting market for PR purposes would be hard to cash in on, since you'd need to hedge your position, which would undermine the rigging objective.