Professional sports are spinning us a morality tale; it’s about to spin out of control. The NBA is learning the hard way that we are the company we keep, because ultimately it keeps us. As we learn more — undoubtedly much, much more — the only question is whether the rest of professional sports will learn their lesson in time.
It is not surprising that basketball was the first professional sport to be caught up in gambling allegations. Professional basketball is particularly suited for gambling. There are many games and comparatively few players; so, there are many opportunities for the few to have great impact on outcomes. These factors also enhance the chances for the few to alter outcomes in ways they shouldn’t. However, basketball’s first should in no way be mistaken for professional sports only.
Dating back over a century to baseball’s Black Sox scandal and its commissioner coming down unforgivingly against all who were in any way involved, professional sports in America have known better. There was nothing more sacrosanct than the integrity of the game. This credibility was their dividing line between sport and entertainment.
However, the bright line that once existed between professional sports and gambling has dimmed to being indistinguishable. In its new audience’s parlance, professional sports have gone all-in.
Athletes are only following the course their leagues have taken; what their leagues have said was alright to everyone else.
Watch any professional sports broadcast, and you can tick the gambling advertisements off in rapid succession. More than mere advertisers, gambling often runs the networks that broadcast games; sportscasters often plug prop bets during play.
Professional sports cannot be surprised that, as they have refurbished gambling — going from being tolerated to acceptable to encouraged — that some would take license with those who have now been licensed as partners. Fraternizing, betting, befriending: Athletes are only following the course their leagues have taken; what their leagues have said was alright to everyone else. (RELATED: Danger Signs for Sports Gambling)
The problem with going after the last dollar is that you wind up chasing the person who is holding it. That chase can take you well off the path you were originally on. The one that got you successfully to where you are.
We have seen where this chase has recently led so many others. Bud Light, Cracker Barrel, Victoria’s Secret, all and more have been swept up by the desire to expand their base and enhance their profits. These have been stigmatized for embracing the ethos of Woke in their chase and running away from the core support that had gotten them the success they enjoyed.
Misguided as these were, ultimately, they were still chasing a new version of their old support: new beer drinkers, younger diners, different body types. Professional sports were not looking to expand their fan base, to attract more people who are passionately devoted to the love of their sport. Professional sports were looking to attract those for whom their products are a means, not an end in themselves.
Professional sports were looking to attract gamblers, not fans. Gamblers do not care about sports per se. They care only about outcomes. And in the pursuit of outcomes, there will inevitably come those with a desire to control outcomes, to take the chance out of games of chance.
Undoubtedly, there will be more revelations as the FBI’s cases proceed to court: Plea deals will be struck in return for cooperation, and cooperation will mean more participants will be revealed. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
The problem is that once this tip is removed, another will pop above the surface. There will always be a tip to the iceberg that professional sports have created by inviting professional gambling into their midst.
Professional sports should listen to its new advertisers’ disclaimer: Never bet more than you can afford to lose. Sadly, professional sports have ignored it by wagering their own credibility.
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READ MORE from J.T. Young:
A Time for War and a Time for Peace
Democrats Decry Another ‘Crisis’ They Caused
At the Bottom of the Left’s Barrel
J.T. Young is the author of the recent book, Unprecedented Assault: How Big Government Unleashed America’s Socialist Left, from RealClear Publishing, and has over three decades’ experience working in Congress, the Department of the Treasury, the Office of Management and Budget, and representing a Fortune 20 company.
