April 2, 2024

New scene at NBA games: Fans screaming at players about their losing bets

https://theathletic.com/5381978/2024/04/02/nba-gambling-players-fans-interactions/

The recent surge in legalized gambling in every pro league, and throughout college athletics, has impacted American sports in ways thought unimaginable just a few years ago. But along with the potential good that hundreds of millions of dollars in new revenues bring to the NBA and other leagues, something new and ominous has arrived: verbal abuse directed at players and coaches based solely on fans’ wagers.

Fans can now bet in real-time on their smartphones, on all aspects of the game, including minutiae such as how many rebounds one player might get in the first half, and how many points will be scored by a team in the fourth quarter. And if their bets don’t deliver, they’re taking it out on the players.

(snip)

For decades, other than one-off events like the Super Bowl and March Madness office pools, gambling was the third rail of sports. College basketball was rocked by numerous point-shaving scandals. Professional leagues forcefully distanced themselves from betting, even refusing to play games in Las Vegas, where it was legal and popular. Then the Supreme Court opened the door to legalized sports wagering in 2018, and a sea change ensued.

(snip)

Teams now have partnerships with casinos and build their arenas next to them. Announcers, long allergic to any references to betting, now commonly cite wagering information during broadcasts. The NBA recently announced that it would allow fans watching games on its streaming app to track betting odds and click through to make bets with the league’s betting partners, FanDuel and DraftKings.



This article brings some questions to mind: 1. How good is this economy, when millions of people have money to spend on betting? 2. With guns so available, when will the mix of guns, sports, and betting produce a tragedy? 3. Why do I feel that MAGAs are at the center of questions 1 and 2?

October 8, 2023

The movie: Roadhouse

Observation: TFG is Brad Wesley.

Nothing more...

May 24, 2023

Republicans run the risk of insider trading...

If the House Republicans continue to move toward default, keep an eye on their stock portfolios. They may be using this "crisis" to sell high and buy back in low.

I hope they are charged and convicted for insider trading.

May 6, 2023

Debt ceiling crisis: the answer is simple, but painful.

Who shares the pain? Not the rich or all of our society?

Biden should say no! Everyone in our society shares the pain. MAGA's are choosing the winners in a forced crisis. Biden is correct not to fold. As a society the rich don't need to be protected, they have resources. If we are choosing who will suffer, we shouldn't be protecting the wealthy few.

Biden should have a clear conscience. Raise the debt ceiling or we will ALL feel the pain.

January 7, 2023

From a distance...

I can't help but thinking that this week was just theater. McCarthy was always going to be the Speaker. They deflected the 1/6 event and gave Trump a new forum.

This was all about bringing attention to themselves and winning the news cycles.

August 28, 2022

What if the "Big Lie" was the smokescreen to cover the document theft?

Consider this idea: Lots of people have their eyes on the capitol (Jan 6), and replacement electors, and state by state challenges, and sending money to challenge the election results.

But no one was watching the other hand: The real prize for Trump was the documents that would fetch more money than Trump had ever had in his lifetime.

Now that its been discovered, Trump falls back on his tried and true protector: the U.S. justice system. With the appointment of a special master, any process to indict Trump will slow down.

Trump is probably two steps ahead still. I can't imagine that he didn't have documents copied and stored elsewhere.

I'm guessing he will continue to walk free among us and never see jail in his lifetime.

July 20, 2022

What's with the Lawrence O'Donnell replay?

I have MSNBC on Sirius all night. Starting at Midnight (Central) Lawrence O'Donnell has been on a 30 second loop. The loop is a rant about the Secret Service deleting the text messages.

Tune in, its still running.

May 22, 2022

Replacement Theory

If I understand this correctly...

• White American men have been chased out of much of the floor work in meat packing.
• White American men cannot get jobs roofing houses
• White American men can't get employment to clean stadiums and/or arenas.
• White American men have been replaced in housekeeping in the hospitality industry.

I'll believe in the Replacement Theory when I see White American men applying for these jobs. Obviously, Replacement Theory is just more Right Wing code.

May 8, 2022

Barbara Bush (elder) was Pro-Choice

I saw an interview with her regarding abortion. She defined life very simply and accurately:

"When a being does not breathe it is dead. Therefore life begins when a being can breathe." (paraphrased)


My thoughts:

We do not call an egg a chicken, or a duck, or a goose. It is an egg. When it can breathe it is a chicken, turkey, duck, or goose.


* Not a Bush family fan, but in this case the comment makes a point.

May 4, 2022

This is White Privilege!

Abortions will not disappear. Its just that people with means will have access. Generally, that means that White women who can afford to travel will have access. The rest will live under restrictions and poor health care.