Interesting discussion on ESPN (1 Viewer)

[teamramrod]

Typical responses:

NFL Suit, General Counsel or someone: MINISCULE. Hardly any.

Sports Handicapper(thanks massraider): HUGE. It keeps people watching crappy games and watching in the 4th quarter.

IMHO, football is the easiest sport of the major 5 (tossing NASCAR in there, sorry hockey fans, but get over it) to bet on. It is a quick, easy bet. I also put 25-50% as the amount of popularity due to gambling. And the FF aspect is probably 10%ish. I get that number form looking around the office and seeing a few casual fans get more into the season.

Another good question is "Are money leagues a form of gambling or a contest of skill?"

Just trying to start an interesting discussion while we all tap our collective fingers for 2 hours and 55 minutes.

 

[massraider]

Just to clarify, the "ad executive" was actually Wayne Root, a well known handicapper. I think he has one of those early morning shown on rinky dink sports networks, where he and some other guys scream at you about their 5 STAR LOCK PLAY OF THE CENTURY.

He might not be one of those guys, but he has the same job: He sells his picks.

 

[⚡DEADHEAD⚡]

It's fantasy football. If that's gambling, then it's gambling.

 

[Romulan]

Definately 100% gambling and FF for me...

 

[teamramrod]

Just to clarify, the "ad executive" was actually Wayne Root, a well known handicapper. I think he has one of those early morning shown on rinky dink sports networks, where he and some other guys scream at you about their 5 STAR LOCK PLAY OF THE CENTURY.He might not be one of those guys, but he has the same job: He sells his picks.

Thanks for the clarification. My daughter dumped her ceral bowl all over the NEW carpet and I was in crisis mood since Daddy broke a rule and let her eat on the carpet so she could hang with me and watch ESPN. So I wasn't paying 100% attetntion

 

[massraider]

Just to clarify, the "ad executive" was actually Wayne Root, a well known handicapper. I think he has one of those early morning shown on rinky dink sports networks, where he and some other guys scream at you about their 5 STAR LOCK PLAY OF THE CENTURY.He might not be one of those guys, but he has the same job: He sells his picks.

Thansk for the clarification. My daughter dumped her ceral bowl all over the NEW carpet and I was in crisis mood since Daddy broke a rule and let her eat on the carpet so she could hang with me and watch ESPN.

It's just a non-stop party over at your house, huh? Root made some really good points. Especially the one about bookies changing collection day from Monday to Tuesday 30 years ago, because of Monday Night Football.Basically, I think it's a chicken or the egg argument:Is football gambling so popular because football is the most popular sport, or is football so popular because football gambling is so popular?I agree with what you said, it's the easist sport to bet on, because they, for the most part, play just once a week. It's more of an event, and if you have multiple bets going on, or parlays and teasers, it's instant gratification. And by adding MNF, the NFL gave gamblers the classic "catch up" game. Really, it's sort of perfect for gamblers.Now, I think that gambling has increased the NFL's popularity, and especially the TV ratings, but if there was no gambling, I still think it'd be the #1 sport. Do I think the NFL would be the runaway success it is? Nah, probably not. Like Wayne Root said, why do games at the end of the year between two crappy teams still get good ratings? He has a valid argument.

 

[Ned]

It's fantasy football. If that's gambling, then it's gambling.

 

[teamramrod]

Is football gambling so popular because football is the most popular sport, or is football so popular because football gambling is so popular?

I totally agree that there is tremendous synergy between the two. But I found it incredible that the NFL guy minimized it so categoricaly. For better or worse gambling exists in our society. The NFL knows this and buys into it. Injury reports are enforced so rigidly to help the bookies/FF prognosticators ( ) get their info out. So the NFL tacitly knows it is there. Why don't they admit it? And there is no HGH porblem in football either.

 

[renesauz]

FF is gambling only in the very strictest sense of the word. A good analogy would be the game of spades, where you have to bid on the number of tricks you and your partner pull. Nobody would consider that gambling, yet it is essentially the same thing. Another example would be the skill games at the fair, where you pay a dollar to try to knock some bottle down with a softball. Is that gambling too?

If you beleive FF is mostly luck, then you will be pre-disposed to calling it gambling. If you beleive FF is more skill/attentiveness then luck, you will be pre-disposed to not consider it gambling.

For me...it isn't gambling, but it's as close to it as you can get without being gambling.

 

[None_More_Black]

FF is gambling only in the very strictest sense of the word. A good analogy would be the game of spades, where you have to bid on the number of tricks you and your partner pull. Nobody would consider that gambling, yet it is essentially the same thing. Another example would be the skill games at the fair, where you pay a dollar to try to knock some bottle down with a softball. Is that gambling too?If you beleive FF is mostly luck, then you will be pre-disposed to calling it gambling. If you beleive FF is more skill/attentiveness then luck, you will be pre-disposed to not consider it gambling.For me...it isn't gambling, but it's as close to it as you can get without being gambling.

If you are putting down money on an uncertain outcome, it is gambling. FF is gambling. Investing in the stock market is gambling. Now if you think you are getting the best of it, then you are a fool not to gamble if you can afford it, but it is still gambling.