NFL Is Shocked Players are Betting on Games

[PGage]

Adam Schefter is reporting on Twitter that “NFL suspended Falcons WR Calvin Ridley for the 2022 season for betting on games.”

It is literally inevitable that more of this is going to happen, as the NFL ties itself closer and closer to sports betting.

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[Bob Jersey]

The system of validating betting partners came with the requirement that any participant must be checked to verify that they aren't a stakeholder (player, office holder, executive, owner)

That, naturally, doesn't stop someone from bending the rules, just like on the field.     B

[Kevin M.]

I restate my thesis from a while back: The moment gambling became a direct source of revenue for professional sports, nothing about the games can be considered honest or reputable. As such, it doesn’t matter that players are openly betting, as the corruption is already de facto part of the system. 

On Mon, Mar 7, 2022 at 1:02 PM 'Bob Jersey' via TVorNotTV <tvor...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

The system of validating betting partners came with the requirement that any participant must be checked to verify that they aren't a stakeholder (player, office holder, executive, owner)

That, naturally, doesn't stop someone from bending the rules, just like on the field.     B

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Kevin M. (RPCV)

[PGage]

As I’ve argued before, your thesis is both too dichotomous and too easy going. The integrity of the game is a continuum, not digital, and has been more or less compromised for more than 60 years, not just the handful of years gambling has been a direct source of revenue. The truth is that the billions of dollars spent gambling on football each year has long been a primary source of interest in the NFL, and is a huge part of what drives its TV ratings (which of course is where it makes most of its profit).

But that is besides the main point. I agree with the gist of what Kevin writes. There is so much to despise about the NFL, but the self righteous, corrupt hypocrisy that runs through its sinews and veins is fundamental to what is rotten. Witness Commissioner Roger Goodall’s condemnation of Ridley, who bet $1100 and is going to lose his $11.1 million salary next year, while the NFL pockets ~$6.4 Billion from TV next year, fueled to a large extent by gambling:

“There is nothing more fundamental to the NFL’s success — and to the reputation of everyone associated with our league — than upholding the integrity of the game. This is the responsibility of every player, coach, owner, game official, and anyone else employed in the league. Your actions put the integrity of the game at risk, threatened to damage public confidence in professional football, and potentially undermined the reputations of your fellow players throughout the NFL.”

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAKgmY4Bg%2BvJ4mEspWoNaqVbkLkvKz3L0m-eczFQjQEg77G8X3Q%40mail.gmail.com.