College sports have changed a lot in recent years, especially with respect to NIL money and legalized sports gambling. Watching student athletes earn money for playing sports is new, but for most sports fans it was something that was long overdue. Legalized gambling, however, is an entirely different issue, and one that is already creating huge problems relating to integrity and fair competition. The beauty of sports, from the pros to the preps, is the assumption of fair play, and that the outcomes of games are decided exclusively by the talent on the field or court. When questions surface about possible betting scams and controversies (i.e. Pete Rose betting on baseball, NBA referee Tim Donaghy influencing NBA scores), leagues respond with the most severe consequences possible to preserve the integrity of the game (both Rose and Donaghy were forced out of their respective sports). Currently, the NCAA is the weakest it has been since its inception in 1906, with barely any authority in this moment to properly oversee sports gambling. Enter the case of college quarterback Brendan Sorsby, a student athlete previously banned by the NCAA for heavy wagering on college sports, but now a judge has granted a temporary injunction allowing Sorsby to continue his college football playing career. Is this good for college sports to set a precedent like this, and if so, what does the future hold for the next athlete who actively bets on games?
Why gambling is bad for sports
Arguably the biggest thing that legitimatizes sports in America today is the safe assumption that what you are watching is fair, and not tainted or altered in any way. The NCAA has always gone after and penalized student athletes, as well as entire athletic departments, when cheating has been discovered. In fact, until recent NIL changes, student athletes were prohibited from accepting any money for their likeness — including autographs! Keeping the fairness of competition airtight provided for the cleanest product, games that were won and lost because of the players on the field that day, and not any other outside factors. This model has been successful for over 100+ years, but with current loose gambling rules and oversight, the college model may be about to burst and turn into something that more resembles the authenticity of “pro” wrestling.
You don’t have to get very far in the weeds when discussing sports gambling before you see all the ways it can go wrong for athletes today. Quick prop bets, insider information, knowledge of team injuries not yet made public, and making bad plays intentionally are a few examples of how gambling can turn the outcome of a game. When a student athlete gets into debt from betting, his or her actions may become even more risky and aggressive trying to get back to even. None of this is good for the student athlete, or the integrity of the game.
While even a one time sports bet made by a student athlete is bad, in the case of Sorsby he wagered over $90,000 on pro and college sports over four years, including 40 bets on his own team (Indiana at the time). So what does all this mean in the big picture? Assuming the NCAA allows Sorsby to continue playing college sports fully aware of his previous sports wagering (including bets on his own school), the future looks bleak. When standards are not upheld, fairness and integrity are devalued, and enforcement is lacking, you no longer have authentic sport competition. What this means is a compromised game filled with uncertainty, with questions ranging from if players are really injured, and if plays on the field are being called to rig games. How will you know what’s real, versus an outcome that occurred simply because some folks cheated to get to that outcome? Widening the scope, how much enthusiasm will sports fans have toward college athletics when nothing about the game is real — and that it feels more like “pro” wrestling rather than fair competition? The precedent being set with the Sorsby case speaks loud and clear that all of those options and likely outcomes are now at play.
When standards are not upheld, fairness and integrity is no longer prioritized, and enforcement is lacking, you no longer have authentic sport competition.
When sports betting became legal, everything changed. It was stated that college student athletes could not bet on games — but now suddenly they can, and without any true consequence. We are witnessing in real-time the dismantling of a sport system that previously allowed for the best teams to win based on talent and execution, but is now being replaced by a hyper-focus on gambling. While it remains to be seen if sports fans will care enough about potentially rigged games to keep them from watching and attending games, if fans do lose interest the consequences will be catastrophic. And for what?? To potentially blow up an amazing sport competition landscape in exchange for casually allowing student athletes to gamble without consequence seems incredibly short-sighted, and likely to destroy the game as we know it.
Final thoughts
As a fan, watching gambling commercials and hearing talking heads talk about sports odds were already bad enough, but at least the game on the field was secure. Today, however, the courts have ruled and said that it’s really not a big deal if a student athlete gambles, and if games are altered, well, we will figure that mess out when it happens. Where is the leadership? The precedent set with the Sorsby case will directly impact and influence future student athletes and their approach to sports gambling — including what risks they will take to make money from their bets. Hopefully better leadership steps in soon and reverses what looks like a really ugly and dangerous path forward with college sports.
drstankovich.com
