Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

COLUMN: Betting ruins careers, sports
By Erica Johnson
University Daily Kansan (U. Kansas)
08/22/2007

(U-WIRE) LAWRENCE, Kan. — In today's sports world, it seems as if it's only about the money.

Professional athletes in every major sport are signing contracts worth millions of dollars every year. Championships and the Hall of Fame don't seem to be as important to athletes nowadays as how much money they are going to make that year.

So why do professional athletes gamble when they have all this money to begin with?

They are seen in the public eye throughout their career so everything is going to be discovered about their lives. Nevertheless, in our society, no one is ever satisfied with the amount of money he or she has — everyone always wants more.

Recently Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has been accused of having dog fighting events in one of his homes. He pleaded guilty to these charges on Monday, and who knows whether he will play in the NFL ever again.

Because he is a high-profile athlete who is cooperating with the investigators, he will probably get a lesser sentence.

Gambling in sports first sparked controversy almost a hundred years ago. In the 1919 World Series, the Chicago Black Sox — I mean White Sox — played the Cincinnati Reds. The famous Black Sox scandal started when it was discovered that Shoeless Joe Jackson and seven other Chicago players fixed the World Series.

Ever since then, gambling in sports has increased. Pete Rose is another famous baseball player who has admitted to fixing games just to earn the extra money. He is the all-time major league leader in hits, made 17 All-Star appearances and has other records that stand today.

He is one of the greatest players ever to play the game, yet he is banned from Major League Baseball completely because of his actions. In 2004 Rose admitted to betting on the Reds while playing for and coaching the team. He will never be fully recognized for his accomplishments because he chose to bet on the sport he played just to have more money.

Former Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rick Tocchet was accused of being the ringleader and overseeing a gambling operation. He allegedly made up to $500,000 in bets in various sports.

Former NHL great Wayne Gretzky and his wife Janet Jones were said to also be involved in some part of Tocchet's operation but this has not been proven.

In May 2007, Tocchet pled guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling. His punishment? Two years probation.

I do not think that any of these athletes' punishments are fair. Just because you have been in the spotlight and are considered a high profile athlete or coach does not mean that you should have a lesser punishment.

Professional athletes and coaches are not the only ones who have been found to gamble on sporting events. Many college athletes have also placed bets.

In 2004, the NCAA did a gambling study that showed 35 percent of male athletes and 10 percent of female athletes bet on college sports that influenced the outcome of games. The study also stated that it was more likely for a Division III athlete to gamble on games than a Division I athlete.

I understand that college athletes would tend to gamble or place bets because they are not being paid to play. However they are in the media as well and the NCAA is always investigating schools and their athletes to make sure the rules are being followed.

In 2005 Dick Vitale and several Division I men's basketball coaches, including Bill Self, made a short video called "Don't Bet on It-Men's Basketball." It stated what should be done to help prevent gambling by college athletes.

I think it is okay for these athletes to go to the casinos and play the slot machines, but there is no reason whatsoever to be betting on sports, especially ones that they participate in.

These athletes are already being paid to play a sport and have plenty of money in their pockets, so why do they need to put their careers in jeopardy by taking the risk of fixing a game just to earn those few extra dollars?

Maybe next time they even think about earning the extra dollars from the bookie, they will ask themselves whether it's really worth the price of the making the Hall of Fame or winning a championship.

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