A Grip on Sports: For some reason, sports betting’s pervasiveness hit us like a forehand to the head this morning
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Sometimes we are slow to fully realize when a rising tide has already covered us with kelp. Heck, we have been blissfully unaware in some regards to the tidal wave that is sports betting. Until this morning.
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• What was the splash of seawater that finally woke us up? Surprisingly, it was mundane search for the Scottish Open golf scores. Talk about out of the blue. And, no, it wasn’t the ads for sports betting sites as we searched. Those have been inundating us for years and have become nothing more than background noise, akin to whenever the TV blares out another too-loud commercial for ways to rebuild your thinning hair.
That ship has sailed Mr. Bosley.
We were really hit with the reality of betting’s reach when we finally pulled up the leaderboard on the PGA Tour’s website. Besides discovering Ludvig Aberg is leading by a stroke entering today’s third round and that he will tee it up at 7:40 a.m. our time, we also discovered he’s the odds-on favorite to win. By quite a bit.
There it is, the +180. Right next to Aberg’s score. Brought to you by BETMGM.
We know. Late to the party. That’s the point.
We feel a bit like a boiled frog. And it’s too late to hop out of the pot.
Slowly, surely, sports betting has engulfed fans. Everywhere you look – and today we finally really looked – are reminders watching sports isn’t worth it unless you have some action on the game’s outcome. Or anyone of the million things you can wager on while it is going on.
Sure, intellectually, we were aware of the way betting has intertwined itself within our sports culture. You would have to be as blind as a bat and as deaf as an armadillo not to be aware of it. But it’s wormed its way into the fabric of society quietly, it seems, like kudzu, until now we are all unable to move, wrapped up so tightly with its ever-engulfing tentacles.
There is no avoiding betting’s hold on sports.
NBA players are banned for life. Baseball players are hit with suspensions two or three at a time. Average Joes and Josies find themselves in debt up to their ears. For what? Financial gain is hard to come by. The sports betting companies, like the aforementioned BETMGM or ESPN’s partner, ESPN BET, wouldn’t be in business long if they didn’t win a large percentage of the wagers.
What’s being sold is adrenaline. The rush of winning, sure, but also the fear of falling onto the razor’s edge nature of losing too. If only a third of the almost 40% of Americans who bet legally actually win, then it stands to reason watching your money disappear has to have some sort of draw, right?
That’s been true forever. We’re pretty sure Cain and Abel bet on which apple would fall off the tree first and losing was what caused Cain to drop the hammer. Heck, Pete Rose saw his Hall of Fame ticket burn up long before betting was legal in all but a couple states.
What was really eye-opening this morning was how far in gambling’s excrement has risen. We are up to our noses in it. We can’t avoid the ads, stories or videos. The constant blaring of “hey, it’s easy.” Or “life isn’t worthwhile unless you parlay the M’s with the Astros and the Mets.” Or even “your friends are all betting so don’t miss the fun.”
Such chatter has been beating us over the head like a 3-year-old with a wiffle bat for years. And we’ve ignored it. Not today.
Tomorrow? Oh sure. Our attention span isn’t much longer than the one possessed by the 3-year-old we just mentioned. We’ll sit and watch the M’s or the golf or the tennis and pay no attention to the play-by-play person telling us who is the favorite or whose comeback paid out enough to buy a gold-plated 7-iron. It’s just noise. Until it isn’t.
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WSU: Theo Lawson is in the maternity ward of American sports betting, Las Vegas, but not to invest his life savings in the Cougars winning the next national football title. At least we hope not. He’s there to cover local college players and the beginnings of their professional journeys. Today he has a fun story on Isaac Jones and Jaylen Wells, who wore the same crimson uniform of Washington State six months ago and different professional ones Friday. But they were on the court together. … The expected became the set-in-stone yesterday, as the Pac-12 announced bowl partnerships would continue even though most of the conference members that signed them have scattered to the winds. Jon Wilner has the information. … If you are wondering what Steve Gleason said when he accepted the ESPY for the Arthur Ashe Courage Award on Thursday, here is a transcript of his comments. … Elsewhere in the Pac-12 and the nation, John Canzano has a bunch of college football notes in his latest column. … The Big 12 planted its flag in the West with its media day. … Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel is the betting – hey, there it is again – favorite to win the Heisman. … Oregon State will have some new uniforms this season. … Utah will have a strong defensive line. … Colorado has made additions to its football and men’s basketball coaching staffs. … The Oregonian football numbers stories have reached the middle and are headed toward the finish line. Two numbers today for the Oregon Ducks and the Oregon State Beavers, No. 50 and No. 49, respectively. … The Pac-12 may have another top pick in Sunday’s MLB draft. Oregon State’s Travis Bazzana has risen to the top of a lot of boards. Will Cleveland pick the second baseman at No. 1? … California could also have a high draft pick. … The Beavers welcome back an all-time great as an addition their women’s basketball coaching staff. … The Arizona Wildcats have men and women playing big roles in international basketball.
EWU and Idaho: Around the Big Sky, a former Montana State men’s basketball player is headed overseas to play. … Dillon Jones has a strong support system to help in his transition from Weber State to the NBA.
Indians: A 13-8 win over Everett on Friday night allowed Spokane to move into a tie with Vancouver atop the Northwest League’s second half standings. Colton Clark was at Avista Stadium for the slugfest and has this coverage. … Elsewhere in the NWL, it was a night of success for the home teams. Besides Spokane’s win, Eugene defeated visiting Vancouver 6-1 and Hillsboro rallied to edge Tri-City 9-8.
Mariners: We were unable to watch the M’s 6-5 loss to the Angels in Anaheim last night, even though our hotel is close enough to hear the postgame fireworks. Or maybe those were from Disneyland. Either way, there were loud booms, something Seattle came up one short in the 10-inning defeat. Bryan Woo came off the injured list and the Angels hunted his fastball all night, driving him from the game in the fourth inning. … Andres Muñoz is headed to the All-Star Game. … We linked this story yesterday in the Times. We link the Kingdome memories again as we look back 25 years in the S-R. … The Mariners look for underappreciated arms in the draft.
Storm: Minnesota have climbed to the top of the Western Conference standings. The Lynx have also stepped on Seattle every time the teams have met this season. Until last night. At Climate Pledge Arena. The Storm locked in defensively and won 91-63.
Sounders: The homestand is over. Seattle must now grind on the road for a while. The trip starts in Austin today with two teams tight in the MLS’ Western Conference table (or standings, if you prefer).
Wimbledon: The women’s final was contested this morning. Barbora Krejčíková from Czechia took a three-set battle with Jasmine Paolini, who also lost the French Open final a few weeks ago. … Sunday’s men’s final will pit the best the world has to offer these days, Carlos Alcaraz and all-time great Novak Djokovic, seeking his 25th Grand Slam title.
Olympics: We shared with you yesterday the interesting story concerning Gatorade, a young sprinter and a suspension. Sally Jenkins adds some depth to the reporting in another of her exceptional columns.
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• We were pretty set to make a joke about betting in this space. But decided against it. Too much of a cliché, something we are a 4-5 favorite to overuse each day. Oh, crud. We had the under. Or something like that. Until later …