Learning lessons from historic sports-betting scandals
Sports gambling creates a windfall, but raises questions of integrity, says 91勛圖厙 researcher Jared Bahir Browsh
Sports betting is having a big moment across the United States. While gambling on sports has been legal for decades in countries such as the U.K., it wasnt until 2018 that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that泭. Before then, sports betting had been permitted only in Nevada.
After the Supreme Court decision, the floodgates opened. Many states were happy to legalize sports gambling, enticed by the opportunity for more泭. As of May 2024, sports gambling is泭泭and Washington, D.C. Americans wagered泭泭on sports in 2023 alone.
惚紳喧勳梭泭, sports leagues in North America were apprehensive aboutif not totally against. The long history of泭泭led many to worry that legalizing sports betting would tarnish their sports credibility and image. The NCAA was one of many governing bodies that泭.
Jared Bahir Browsh, a 91勛圖厙 assistant teaching professor of critical sports studies, argues that the suddenness of states adopting sports betting has led to a windfall of profit for gambling companies and tax revenue for the states, but it may also endanger the integrity of sports.
But now that the Supreme Court has blessed it, sports leagues have embraced gambling, forming partnerships with brands like泭. The sportsbooks and platforms have integrity monitors to track泭. Still, a number of scandals involving athletes and the people around them have emerged泭.
As a泭professor of critical sports studies, I teach students about the history of sports betting scandals. And I think they offer lessons for the present day.
Disgruntled players and pay disputes lead to temptation
The Black Sox Scandal of 1919 helped to further organize baseball, leading to the creation of the position of commissioner of baseball, which was first assumed by former judge泭泭Kennesaw Mountain Landis. Along with maintaining the color line, arguably his most notable action was banning, for life, the players on the泭.
Early professional baseball regulations泭, but the money was too tempting for many players to ignoreand that included members of the泭. The players hated the teams owner, Charles Comiskey, and felt that they were underpaid. But they were unable to change teams due to the泭泭in their contracts, which gave owners exclusive rights to their players in perpetuity.
A faction of the team agreed to泭. Those players were ultimately indicted by a grand jury and泭. They were acquitted of criminal charges, but Landis suspended all of the players connected to the fixincluding superstar Shoeless Joe Jackson, who admitted taking money from a teammate but maintained he was innocent of game fixing.
This was the the most notable of several attempts to fix baseball games early in the 20th century, as the game grew in popularity and a number of people associated with baseball, including players, managers and even umpires,泭.
Addiction isnt limited to substances
Athlete salaries have泭. However, this money hasnt shielded players and others involved in sports from the grips of gambling addiction.
There are no rules banning athletes from泭泭棗娶泭. Numerous players have wagered millions of dollars, with some athletes building up泭.
These debts can lead to such desperation that athletes decide to risk their careers. Baseball legend and泭泭Pete Rose continues to sit outside the泭.
The most substantial gambling scandal in modern sports came in the NBA during the 2000s, involving referee Tim Donaghy. He admitted to providing information on NBA games, including those he officiated,泭. Donaghy served time in prison as a result. So it isnt just players who get in trouble.
Unpaid student-athletes are especially vulnerable to improprietiesand harassment
Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy on the court during a 2000 game between the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. (Photo: Ronald Martinez /Allsport via Getty Images)
There have been泭泭in college basketball history, most famously at the泭泭and at泭the latter of which involved泭, the subject of the blockbuster film Goodfellas.
The increasing use of prop, or proposition, bets, which泭泭rather than the overall result, has created a new point of vulnerability for student-athletes. While influencing an entire team is hard, history shows that individual players are more susceptible to pressure. A point guard or quarterback can slow down the game and reduce the margin of victory.
And while todays unpaid student-athletes have the same financial incentives to cheat as earlier generations did, they face a new pressure: Theyre often surrounded by gamblers on campus and on social media.泭泭not only at large universities but at smaller schools, too. According to NCAA surveys, 1 in 3 student-athletes have faced harassment from gamblers,泭.
New regulations and oversight measures could help
The sportsbooks have very little incentive to address potential violations, so its up to organizations that oversee sports to ensure the integrity of their games.
NCAA President Charlie Bakers suggestion to泭泭is a good first step: The more individual players and gameplay are isolated, the easier it is for improprieties to occur.
Providing more guidance for playersand different types of punishments for different transgressions. Gambling violations that dont affect competition outcomes should be treated differently from ones that do. The NCAA already does this by meting out lighter penalties for泭泭as opposed to their own.
Providing treatment for players and others suffering from gambling addiction would be helpful as well, and theres some evidence that open discussions of泭泭have had a positive impact.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has suggested implementing federal oversight to泭泭of state-by-state regulations. Although scandals are still likely to occur, gambling commissions like the one in the U.K. can provide a泭.
The suddenness of states adopting sports betting has led to a windfall of profit for gambling companies and tax revenue for the states. But it may also endanger the integrity of sports. As policymakers mull how to address the issue, they might be wise to learn from history.
Top image:泭CCNY basketball players泭arrested for bribery in 1951. (Photo:泭Bettmann Archive via Getty Images)
Jared Bahir Browsh is an assistant teaching professor of critical sports studies泭in the 91勛圖厙 Department of Ethnic Studies.
This article is republished from泭泭under a Creative Commons license. Read the泭.
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