Higher Odds

Well here we are at Labor Day weekend, the unofficial end of the Summer season though climate issues have now made Sept a continuation of hot weather for most of us. It also signifies the beginning of another school year for many, the Fall season, apple picking, leave raking and most of all the return of America’s largest industry… football.

I will admit, I am a football fan, both college and pro. I’ll even head over and watch the local high school play a game if my schedule permits. However, I think I’m at a tipping point with the saturation factor and now with the largest of all elephants in the room, sports betting. I always loved the concept of Monday night football, the extra bonus day on a football schedule. College football was strictly a Saturday affair so it allowed for social conflicts to be more readily accepted; ok I’ll go to that wedding, I have Sunday at least. Then Sunday night football years ago made the day a 12 hour marathon watch but still it worked fine for me, start the day and finish it with a little pigskin, perfect.

Of course, the Thanksgiving holiday wouldn’t be complete without a couple of football games, ok add a 3rd at night, why not. By the way, this year there’ll be a Black Friday game, of course! Saturday games on the NFL schedule at the end of the season years ago became a permanent fixture just as the college season was winding down, just in case you were thinking of going anywhere on a Saturday.

Speaking of college, somewhere in the mix, they added Thursday night games to “start” the weekend schedule and of course the Saturday night primetime game. A couple of years ago, the NFL brought in another media partner and started steaming games on Thursday nights… whoa I have to start writing these down now! College added playoffs on top of 38 bowl games and the NFL trumped them by bringing in primetime wild card games on Saturday nights along with Sunday and Monday playoff games.

I think we are now at a point that other than Tuesday thruThursday mornings between 9-12 you can find a football game somewhere on TV. There was a season “kickoff” high school game on cable this past Friday night… I shit you not. Well my guess is that someone must be watching or they wouldn’t broadcast the games but when is it too much? Again, I’m a fan, it just seems like it’s getting absurd.

This leads me finally to my other main point; the partnering of sports and gambling. We knew it was headed there, it was only a matter of time because the almighty dollar dictates everything.

The NCAA with it’s college athletics tried to maintain the holier than though attitude but they caved as well. It used to be a violation for a student athlete to take a free dinner as it went against their code of amateurism, what a crock of shit. A couple of NFL players are on suspension because they were stupid enough to blatantly bet on football games from the locker room but now along with their personal trainers and dieticians they can hire personal bookies. “Hey go online and bet the Dallas game, my buddy told me that Dak has strep” and all will be fine. I think what bothers the crap out of me is the advertising; I was aware of the possibility of gambling eventually becoming legal, I just never thought that I would be subjected to hourly advertising reminding me that I can bet on the next inning and whether or not the batter will strike out.

Ex stars like David Ortiz and many other have sold their soul and are promoting gambling to anyone watching. Ask any 20 something if they’ve ever used Draft Kings or Fan Duel? Its only 5 bucks… 20 times a week. I questioned whether I was getting really old as I pondered this subject. Kev, it’s no big thing… it’s fun, yea ok. At least casinos were strict on age and weren’t on every street corner; you can now lose lots of money from your phone in a Dunkin drive through, well that certainly seems like progress.

Once again and admittedly, I am involved with fantasy football, survivor pools and of course will buy super bowl squares; none however were in my face on a commercial eight times a night during a baseball game. I don’t think this is a good thing and I think it will lead to problems, but the genie is out of the bottle, so I’ll take my ball now, get off my soapbox, and go home.

Enjoy the football and if you miss Thursday night’s game, I’ll bet there’s a Friday noontime kickoff somewhere.