The Denver Broncos snatched a narrow victory from the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional playoff on Jan. 17. The football game hinged on a ruling of a controversial catch ruled an interception during overtime, a catch that later won the Broncos the game.
When I was watching the game, I didn’t think of the decision as much of an issue, but when reading through Instagram comments discussing the catch the next day, one comment stuck with me. It read: “Sports betting ruins sports; they will never be the same.”
As someone who has never bet on sports, I didn’t understand the world of sports betting, parlays, spreads and odds. I used to think that a call by a referee was just a call. Now I realize that it’s also a $1,000 decision for hundreds of people who are watching the game. As I watched the Chicago Bears game the next week, I realized how much sports betting had infiltrated sports. During timeouts, bets advertised as risk-free popped on the screen, flashing their bright colors with famous actors in almost every one. It felt impossible to watch the game without a mention of gambling.
Ads don’t just promote betting. They normalize it, making it an integral part of the game. While gambling is a serious addiction that makes many people lose, it’s marketed as a fun pastime that complements sports games. There’s no mention of the risks, financial and mental. For younger viewers, this is no different. According to a study done by Sports Media Watch, around 900,000 of NFL watchers were made up by teens, none of whom could gamble. These teens are growing up in a culture where gambling is constantly being shoved in front of them, in a culture that constantly reinforces gambling as a normal thing. Even without teens not being able to bet directly, they absorb the message that gambling is part of the game. While the consequences may not be apparent at the moment, this culture could create harmful habits in the future.
While sports betting can seem fun, its presence in sports broadcasting and advertising has turned it into a combined entity with sports, changing the way fans view the game. What was originally meant to be an experience for fans to enjoy has turned into a stressful financial experience for some. A competition has been turned into an activity where every call by a referee carries more weight than it should.
