“Ill bet you my career!”

This past week or two, my sports management class has been discussing betting in sports. And I learned a lot of stuff that I didn’t know, such as sports’ betting is only legal in the state of Nevada. We watched a movie on the subject and what we found out was a little surprising. At this point everybody should know about the NBA referee that was accused of fixing games and making a team win so that he could win a lot of money. The act is called points shaving, and what I learned from the film is that it has been going on for a long time. There was a case at a college back in ’96 where a student was accused of points shaving. He and 7 other players were arrested for taking part in the act. Also in the past, coaches have been found guilty of points shaving. I believe the navy academy football team was found guilty of betting and points shaving or something like that. ESPN made a movie about it. Of course everyone knows about Pete Rose betting on his own team among other games. Because of that he lost his guaranteed ticket to Cooperstown. But the bottom line is that it doesn’t belong in sports, period. Let me clarify what I mean. A $20 bet with the co-worker down the hall is fine. Having a $100-per-box pool for the super bowl is fine to. All that is fine, but its when athletes get involved betting on there own sport or even there own team is where the line has to be drawn. One player committing points shaving can alter game, maybe even a season, depending on how important the game is. The player is flat out betraying his team, picking money over winning. These guys are getting 15 million a year anyone. I guess its just never enough. If your not doing business with someone you can absolutely trust, then chances are you’ll be caught and end your professional or collegiate career. But then again what am I saying, Athletes seem to be above the law anyway. They’ll probably just get a slap on the wrist. But that’s a post for another day. Please give me your feedback.