The climax of the NFL season is now less than a week away, and with parties being planned, game plans being drawn up, and performances being rehearsed, there is also a whole lot of bets being thrown down. According to reports, almost $5 billion will be wagered on the Super Bowl this Sunday. You can bet on simple things like which team will win the game, or you can bet on things like how long it will take Pink to sing the national anthem and what color ties Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will be wearing.
Therefore, it seems that during this time of year the conversation always arises about whether or not the NFL, and all professional leagues, should begin to take steps to legalize gambling. Of that close to $5 billion being wagered, over 95% of it will be wagered illegally. That means that in a league like the NFL where, like pretty much every other business, money is the first priority, there is a whole lot of money to be had if gambling on the game were legalized. The NBA even recently took more steps in the direction of legalizing gambling on its product, and commissioner Adam Silver has said that he would be interested in eventually making it legal to bet on NBA games, so long as the league gets some percentage of the money that is wagered. It seems to me like Silver is praised for this stance more often than he is criticized, and with each passing day, it seems like legalized NBA gambling might actually one day happen. In a league that is already being infused with a ton of money, this would boost profits exponentially, and maybe it will happen. However, I am here to say that while it is probably tough to find fault with the stance of Silver and the NBA, this is entering territory that is full of slippery slopes.
Even though it is not officially decreed as one, Super Bowl Sunday is pretty much a national holiday in this country. Not only is it popular here, but the game will be watched throughout the entire world. Because of that attention, it seems like legalizing gambling so long as the NFL were able to take a portion of that money would make sense. Although that might make sense financially, as an ardent fan of the sport, I do not think it would make sense in my eyes. The stakes are too high, and the chance of manipulation is too much for me to ignore. I don't care how much money the players are making. Everyone in this world has a price, whether they want to admit it or not.
The most famous sports scandal of all is, in the eyes of most, the throwing of the 1919 World Series by multiple members of the Chicago White Sox team. The names of guys like Eddie Cicotte and Joe Jackson and Chick Gandil will forever be associated with being bought off to lose the 1919 World Series. Jackson should be in the Hall of Fame, but because of his role in that scandal, he never will be. "The integrity of the game" is a phrase thrown around in many different circumstances, but what those guys did in 1919 was ignore the integrity of the game. They laid down and threw games because they were enticed by gamblers and their money. That is why I believe that any professional sports league that legalizes gambling is opening itself up to all kinds of possibilities just like those of 1919.
I know what opponents of my theory will say. The salaries paid to those players in 1919 were nothing compared to what they would be making by throwing games today. Is that true? Yes. Does it make me somewhat understand why they chose to do so in 1919? Yes. However, times have changed. Athletes now make a lot more money than they did a century ago. One thing I do know though, is that people with a lot of money usually are mainly focused on one thing; making even more money. Like I said before, everyone in this world has a price. I don't care if you are the highest paid player on the team or the last man on the roster. And that does not even take into account the possibility of people not playing in these games and their effect on the outcome. If anyone should know that, it is the NBA.
Players surely have the biggest outcome on games being played, but they are not the only people who do impact those outcomes. Tim Donaghy was an NBA official for over a decade. In 2007, he resigned from the league because of allegations that he had bet on games and officiated in such a way that affected the outcomes of the games he worked. Following his resignation, he pleaded guilty in court to multiple federal charges and served time in prison because of what he did.
The salary of NFL referees is between about $25,000 and $70,000. Let's cut that down the middle and say that refs get paid about $50,000 per year. Practice squad players in the league, who are basically what would be defined as the "worst" players in the league, make about $7,200 each week that they are on a roster. If they stay with a team and never get into a game all season, that equals over $115,000. That means that the players on the back end of any roster are making almost $50,000 more than even the highest paid officials. So that begs the question, why are there not Tim Donaghys in every professional sports league? Is it because they have not been found guilty, or is it because the money they could potentially make is not large enough yet? I think it is the latter.
It does not stop with officials though. Rob Gronkowski suffered a hit to the head in the AFC Championship game and has been in the league's concussion protocol since then. Gronkowski is one of the best players in the game. When asked about whether or not he would be playing this Sunday (we all expect that he will), he said that is what not his decision or the decision of the coaches, it was a matter that was to be decided by the doctors. So what that means is that one doctor out there somewhere in the country supposedly has the status of Gronkowski sitting in the palm of their hands. If that doctor did not allow Gronkowski to play this Sunday, it would have enormous ramifications on the outcome of the game. Is whoever that doctor is most likely paid well? Yes, I would believe so. However, is that person paid well enough to where they never need to work another day in their life? No, I guarantee that they are not. So what would prevent that doctor from placing a bet against New England and then ruling Gronkowski out for the game this Sunday if gambling on the NFL were legalized? Nothing would prevent it.
I know that some of these ideas might be outlandish, but when there is large amounts of money involved, nothing is outlandish. I love sports because it is the ultimate reality show. Reality shows don't air on MTV or VH1 or any of those other stupid channels airing those stupid shows. Sports is the ultimate reality show, because literally anything is possible. I do not want that to be changed. Although legalizing betting may not immediately lead to that change taking place, I do think that it could at least plant the seeds for it taking place some day. For that reason, I dearly hope that, despite what could be huge profits, these leagues at least can put aside thoughts of their bank accounts for just a few seconds and realize that what they are giving the fans is beautiful, and we don't want our reality television to come in the form of a bunch of drunk people fighting in some house in front of television cameras and edited for hours and hours before being shown to the world. We want our reality television to happen in real time, and that is what we get with sports.
Daily Rangers Update: The team currently sits ninth in the Eastern Conference, but with still many games to play. Everyone will be rested following the All Star break, and next up for the Rangers is the Toronto Maple Leafs tomorrow night.
Daily NBA Update: James Harden went absolutely berserk last night, recording the first 60 point triple-double in the history of the league. In a league that has existed for decades and featured stat sheet stuffers like Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James, what Harden did last night is really spectacular.
Daily Giants Update: Nothing much new to report here, but once the season officially ends this Sunday night, all eyes will be focused on the draft, and now that the Giants have a front office and a coaching staff in place, I assume that they will be well prepared going into draft night on April 26th.
Daily Diamondbacks Update: This does not really affect Arizona, as I think our team is pretty much set to go into Spring Training, but there are still multiple free agents who have yet to sign with new teams, and we are now only a few weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting. J.D. Martinez is still out there and available, but I never expected him back with the Diamondbacks to begin with, and despite him still being available, I still do not expect the team to pay him the exorbitant amount of money that I assume he is asking for. In any case, I like the roster going into camp, and I am excited going into 2018.
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