The NBA is in bed with sportsbooks, and instead of changing how we talk about it, we need to change how we look at gambling as a whole.
As usual, the fine folks at Full Court Press are right on top of things, reacting to the arrest news of Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups a full four days after the story broke.
That’s the kind of timely reporting that deserves a subscription, right?
Anyway! We are not here to discuss wrongdoing, at least in the traditional sense. It seems that the investigation was mostly thorough, and we would be shocked if Billups or Rozier ever set foot in an NBA arena ever again. In fact, Billups’ Hall of Fame honors might be rescinded.
Everyone knows betting on the NBA as a player or coach is bad. We don’t need to rehash the ethics of it.
Instead, we are here to discuss the pearl-clutching reporting that has surrounded sports gambling ever since it was widely legalized around the country.
Reporting Around Betting Needs to Change
Two things can be true. Like most fans, I am sick of the way sports betting is shoved down our throats. FanDuel TV Network, ESPN SportsBook, and the league-sponsored parlays do ruin the integrity of the game.
However, so do beer ads, whiskey commercials, and any other “vice” that is being projected to an often underage audience. Granted, advertisements surrounding alcohol are much more regulated than gambling ads, but some degree of responsibility has to fall on the consumer.
As Jessie Pinkman once asked Walter White: “Are we in the meth business, or the money business?”
The NBA, ESPN, NBC, and Amazon are not invested in giving fans the purest basketball product imaginable. If you want that, go catch a game at your local high school gym. Like any business, they will make money by any means necessary.
Broadcasting high-level professional sports draws viewers in, and then they sell ad space to the highest bidder. It’s not their fault that sportsbooks can break the bank. Casinos are incredibly popular because the house always wins, and unsuspecting or uneducated consumers always fall into their trap.
In an ideal world, the line between the NBA and BetRivers would not be blurred. DraftKings would not be synonymous with the league’s biggest stars. The NBA has been quick to partner with sportsbooks, and until the league loses credibility, change can’t be expected.
To tell ESPN to shut down its sportsbook, or to demand that the league not broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network, would be to tell the grocery store not to sell candy. It’s unhealthy, sure, but if I load up my cart with Hershey’s, I can’t really blame Kroger, can I?
Unregulated gambling is one of the great evils in our society right now. Regulation is a must. However, the responsibility to separate the league from a massive profit avenue can’t be left up to the private sector. Consumers need to prove that they are immune to gambling messaging, and governments need to see the dire consequences it has on people and their relationships.
Gambling increases domestic violence. That is a fact. The solution is not to simply scorn ESPN or Fox Sports for jumping into bed with sportsbooks. The solution is to make betting regulated or downright illegal, at least online. As long as betting is a talking point, the media will focus on it. It’s up to viewers and consumers to show less interest.
The only reason the NBA and its media partners discuss gambling in the way that they do is because there is a market for it.
How to slow down the spread of gambling that is ruining the competitive purity of the best league in the world? Easy.
Make betting an in-person thing again, where gamblers have to go to a casino to lay down a five-legged parlay that won’t hit. Making think-pieces about how sportsbook ads are impossible to avoid is a waste of time. Lobbying for fresh gambling laws, however, is a much better use of your time.
Instead of blaming ESPN and the like for promoting gambling, maybe we need to take a long look at what most sports fans were excited to legalize, and recognize that pursuing it was a mistake.
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