The horse is out of the barn when it comes to sports gambling. You can bet what already feels like a slippery, slimy slope is only going to spiral further into the abyss.
Oh, what a tangled web we are weaving.
In addition to the onslaught of obnoxious advertising that has become a part of virtually every broadcast these days — with everyone from Wayne Gretzky and Connor McDavid to Ron MacLean and “Cabbie” shilling for the cause — a number of other consequences are now creeping into the games we love.
Jacob Kupferman / The Associated Press files
Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (right) says gamblers have wished him death because they lost a bet.
Just look at the latest from the undisputed king of pro sports, the NFL, where five players just got caught violating the league’s gambling policy.
Receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore of the Detroit Lions and defensive end Shaka Toney of the Washington Commanders have been suspended indefinitely, while Lions receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams were given six-game bans.
Very few details have been released about their indiscretions, including whether they were betting on their own games, which only adds to the very icky feeling surrounding this. Do we have another Black Sox Scandal on our hands, more than 100 years after the original scandal tarnished Major League Baseball? Who knows.
Regardless, it’s a major red flag on the play. Perhaps, just the tip of the iceberg.
It’s quite something to watch the league now try to pooh-pooh the very conduct they once predicted would occur when they fought, tooth and nail, to keep it far away from their sport prior to the U.S. Supreme Court opening the door in 2018.
The New York Times noted former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue testified before Congress in 1991 that “we should not gamble with our children’s heroes,” while current head honcho, Roger Goodell, made an emphatic plea in 2012.
“The NFL cannot be compensated in damages for the harm that sports gambling poses to the goodwill, character and integrity of NFL football,” Goodell said.
Under Goodell’s watch, the league has now gone all-in on gambling, with hundreds of millions in additional revenue pouring in thanks to partnerships and sponsorships with everything from online websites to ritzy casinos and sportsbooks.
Talk about mixed messaging. To their fans and to the players themselves.
It’s a similar story here in Canada for the past couple of years, where a private member’s bill from Conservative MP Kevin Waugh amended the Criminal Code that previously outlawed wagering on single sporting events, other than horse racing.
The idea was to keep money closer to home, since Canadians already turn to foreign gambling sites, casinos and illegal bookmakers to the tune of an estimated $14 billion annually. It gathered multi-party support as it passed through the House of Commons, opening the door for provincial governments, which regulate gambling in Canada, to take the leap.
Now, when you turn on the Stanley Cup playoffs these days, it truly feels like you are watching a betting show that has a bit of hockey sprinkled in. At first, it was just a few commercials. Now, the entire presentation seems to revolve around putting your hard-earned money on the line.
Board ads. Pop-up graphics with ever-changing real-time odds. Throw after throw after throw from once-reputable broadcasters and journalists who seem to have sold their souls.
Even teams themselves have embraced it, posting current lines on their social media accounts, having bar codes on seats for online sites (including at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg) and even opening sportsbooks inside arenas and stadiums.
There’s no escape. And it’s ruining the experience for many fans. And players, too.
Toronto Raptors stars Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and Chris Boucher recently spoke out about the issue, revealing startling details of blowblack of which they’ve been on the receiving end.
“That culture is the craziest thing to me because they will literally wish you death because they missed whatever they were betting on,” Siakam said on The Draymond Green Show podcast.
“I just want to say, I don’t like it, and stop messaging me about how you lost your parlay, I don’t care; I could care less. You could miss your parlay today, tomorrow, I could really care less. It doesn’t matter to me.”
VanVleet spoke about receiving messages such as “I hope your Mom dies,” saying it has chased him off social media. Boucher, who was born in St. Lucia but raised in Montreal, said a fan blamed him for his fantasy basketball loss, saying “I chose the wrong slave” to have on his team.
A sorry sign of the times.
Even the Professional Hockey Writers Association, of which I am a member, had to send out a disclaimer this year prior to casting votes on a number of year-end NHL awards that anyone who has skin in the game must declare a conflict-of-interest and take a pass.
This, after some sports journalists who specialize in breaking down the numbers have admitted to mounting losses caused by addiction.
I’ll repeat what I’ve previously stated when writing about this thorny issue: I have absolutely no issue with betting on sports. If that’s your cup of tea, and you have the means to do it responsibly, knock your socks off.
The way this is being presented to the public, with little to no regard for the potential damage it might cause, is alarming. Especially considering how young and impressionable so many consumers are. Is this really the message we want to be hitting them over the head with?
Little to no talk of moderation or safeguards against what can quickly spiral out-of-control. Little to no regulation on the volume of advertisements shoved down our throats. Little to no regard for the big picture, including how it might be impeaching the integrity of the game.
Just surf social media on any given night and you’ll see no shortage of conspiracy theories out there about teams throwing games to improve draft positioning or referees on the take. That kind of chatter is only going to increase, I fear.
Sports used to be all about the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat. Of overcoming adversity and obstacles, of fierce battles and excitement and honest efforts while laying it all on the line.
Now, what happens on the rink, the field, the court or the diamond feels almost secondary to so many viewers and spectators and, as we are starting to see, competitors themselves. It’s as much about point spreads and parlays, prop bets and pucklines, as anything else.
It’s the wild, wild west. And, sadly, it appears there is no turning back.
Giddy up.
Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg
Mike McIntyre
Sports columnist
Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer.