Katie, this is a fascinating piece. You made me think of so many connections! Dante's levels of sin in "The Inferno," John Thorn's discussions of gambling and the national pastime in "Baseball in the Garden of Eden, and the ending of the novel version of "The Natural."
Have any of the big names you mentioned at the end commented on the relationship between gambling and the league, or about abuse from fans related to betting?
Great piece, Katie. The scourge of sports betting and the advertising thereof is really taking away some of my enjoyment of the game, it's just so pervasive. And maybe the BIG names haven't spoken out, but some a few ranks down have - see comments by Chris Boucher and Tyrese Haliburton. Chris had online threats from people who's bets didn't pan out, and Tyrese said he's basically not a person to many on social media, just a "prop" (as in prop bets - had to learn that myself, since Im not into betting world terminology). Of course it's all about money, and the money-making machine that is the NBA. And of course, being a nobody 2-way player makes Jontay Porter an easy mark. Not that I don't believe he shouldn't be banned for life. As someone who has played competitive sports pretty much my whole life, I can't condone betting on your own sport, your own league, yourself and your own team, to lose no less! And to not consider that every betting platform has monitoring and algorithms to detect suspicious and abnormal activity? Why would you throw away your chance at a potentially lucrative future in the NBA? And if you had a gambling problem, why not reach out for help? To your brother, your players' association, lots of options. It's both sad and infuriating. And with the recent news about the other younger Porter brother's conviction, I feel for Michael Porter Jr and his parents.
The NBA and most sports are almost unwatchable because the sore of gambling is metastasizing. Hopefully this era will pass without a major sports league imploding in the way Declan Hill has recently warned about in The Globe and Mail. Your courage in publishing this should be applauded. Hopefully the Raptors and the NBA are not fickle when renewing press passes. What is happening is probably a consequence of a media strategy that is based on replacing missing television viewership with social media engagement. The Infinite Scroll is just like a slot machine. Sin is not just about power, but also about falling out of a state of grace. Absolution in the sacrament of confession is not granted without an act of contrition. Rene Girard, a devout Catholic, would probably say that the way out of this hellscape that we find ourselves in is to find a scapegoat. As Jack Armstrong might say, “HELLO!”
I think the problem is more so game-fixing by the players and the integrity of the league, but I agree with you that the NBA should not be shoving sports gambling down our throats if they do not want players engaging. However, he should be punished severely so no other players do so.
What a fabulous piece of writing.
Katie, this is a fascinating piece. You made me think of so many connections! Dante's levels of sin in "The Inferno," John Thorn's discussions of gambling and the national pastime in "Baseball in the Garden of Eden, and the ending of the novel version of "The Natural."
Have any of the big names you mentioned at the end commented on the relationship between gambling and the league, or about abuse from fans related to betting?
Great piece, Katie. The scourge of sports betting and the advertising thereof is really taking away some of my enjoyment of the game, it's just so pervasive. And maybe the BIG names haven't spoken out, but some a few ranks down have - see comments by Chris Boucher and Tyrese Haliburton. Chris had online threats from people who's bets didn't pan out, and Tyrese said he's basically not a person to many on social media, just a "prop" (as in prop bets - had to learn that myself, since Im not into betting world terminology). Of course it's all about money, and the money-making machine that is the NBA. And of course, being a nobody 2-way player makes Jontay Porter an easy mark. Not that I don't believe he shouldn't be banned for life. As someone who has played competitive sports pretty much my whole life, I can't condone betting on your own sport, your own league, yourself and your own team, to lose no less! And to not consider that every betting platform has monitoring and algorithms to detect suspicious and abnormal activity? Why would you throw away your chance at a potentially lucrative future in the NBA? And if you had a gambling problem, why not reach out for help? To your brother, your players' association, lots of options. It's both sad and infuriating. And with the recent news about the other younger Porter brother's conviction, I feel for Michael Porter Jr and his parents.
The NBA and most sports are almost unwatchable because the sore of gambling is metastasizing. Hopefully this era will pass without a major sports league imploding in the way Declan Hill has recently warned about in The Globe and Mail. Your courage in publishing this should be applauded. Hopefully the Raptors and the NBA are not fickle when renewing press passes. What is happening is probably a consequence of a media strategy that is based on replacing missing television viewership with social media engagement. The Infinite Scroll is just like a slot machine. Sin is not just about power, but also about falling out of a state of grace. Absolution in the sacrament of confession is not granted without an act of contrition. Rene Girard, a devout Catholic, would probably say that the way out of this hellscape that we find ourselves in is to find a scapegoat. As Jack Armstrong might say, “HELLO!”
I think the problem is more so game-fixing by the players and the integrity of the league, but I agree with you that the NBA should not be shoving sports gambling down our throats if they do not want players engaging. However, he should be punished severely so no other players do so.