While this latest NBA betting scandal explodes, try to understand that sports and gambling go hand in hand. This is not to say situations like the current one with the NBA happen a lot and we're not trying to spread conspiracy theories. And, this is not just about bettors who may or may not know anything about the games they bet on. This is just a little insight.
If you were or are an athlete of any kind, it was probably was the amateur kind. That means you weren't doing it for a living. But it doesn't mean, there wasn't any gambling going on. Some leagues have an entry fee and the winning team or top teams get to divey up some of that money. But even if it was a league just for fun or you're just playing with friends in a pick up game, it doesn't mean you weren't betting on anything. At the very least, you were betting on your skills. Every ballplayer in every game is doing that. Everyone wants to win and play well doing it. It's why we all play. But what will happen and how you will perform in any game, is the great unknown.
You could be hitting a line drive on every batting practice pitch and then pop up or strike out in every at bat in the actual game. Or just the opposite. You could step up to the plate in the game and just hit line drive after line drive. Or you could walk out onto the basketball court and sink every practice shot and then proceed to shoot 2 for 10 in the game. Or just the keep hitting your shots in the game as you did in practice. You just never know. Of course you work on your skills. That's what practice is for. And, if you're playing well, you have a lot of confidence but then, you just never know. Everyone has a bad game. We don't care who you are. So every game is... well, a gamble. So all athletes every where, are gamblers.
When we were young we would bet on ourselves. We'd bet the other team we could beat them and put up a $100 to prove it. That was a lot of money back then. And the money heightened the competition for us. Money heightens the competition for everyone, everywhere. That's why they tell you what the winning share in every sport is. The Superbowl winner gets... World Series winner gets... The Masters Champion gets...
It was not uncommon in my old neighborhood for players to leave the field and wind up working for bookies. Or in one case, becoming a bookie. And, of course becoming bettors too, a whole lot of bettors. There are a whole lot of neighborhoods and a whole lot of bettors out there.
The athlete gets that big adrenaline rush from making a great play or winning the big game. The bettor gets that too, when they put their money down. No one should be too surprised that the bettor and the athlete, might be the same guy.
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