Sports, presented by gambling

Those Kevin Hart ads make DraftKings seem so friendly. Wholesome, even. They portray a world where gambling is just another fun part of the fun world of sports.

This is not the first time that a vice, a hobby or habit that actually ruins lives sometimes, has been presented as a close buddy of sports. We all know the famous Budweiser commercials that have accompanied the Super Bowl. I'm sure cigarettes were prominently advertised at sporting events at some point or another. But I'm not sure any of these partnerships were as closely intertwined as the current business between DraftKings and actual professional sports leagues.

The arrangement is normalized in a way that is both persistent and just kind of gross. Kevin Hart is meant to bring some comedy to the fingertip availability of placing a prop bet, something that is inherently dangerous for a good many people. Other spokespeople pop up on the TV on behalf of these official partners to remind you that they are, in fact, partners, and you should be part of the action.

I know gambling has always been there and has always been a part of sports. I guess I'm still processing the complete lack of separation that entered our lives in the last couple years.

I think of it this way. When I was eight years old, I had no concept of sports betting. My son knows all about it, and he probably thinks it isn't a big deal. He even talked to an in-law about his over/under bets when we were visiting over the holidays.

Today:

• How sports betting has further stretched the definition of "news"
• Gambling stuff that probably shouldn't be considered normal
• Appreciating the talents of Lamar Jackson and some other things I have been enjoying lately

This is a free preview of my weekly newsletter that goes out to paid members. If that's something you might be interested in, you can sign up below.

If you would rather just read or stick with a free membership, that's just fine. I'm glad you're here.

Back in my content aggregating day

Such as one does during a break in the work day, a while back I opened the CBS Sports app. I tapped the page that is dedicated to the day’s top news.

Acknowledging the blurring of the concept of what qualifies as “news” these days, I was still struck by this headline:

Sportsline: Computer model reveals Tuesday’s best bets to hit a home run

The fact that this article warrants a front page spot means it is in demand. At least I think that’s what it means. It’s the kind of quick burn content that does well with search engines and page views and the other measures that sites need to track to stay afloat.

During my days grinding as a sports content aggregator, I remember being assigned a handful of “how to watch” articles each NFL weekend. Many fans searched for the channel to watch their team’s game. We were hoping my article would pop up in the results.

Those short entries had no substance. Sure, I would slap together a couple paragraphs previewing the game’s action, likely just naming each team’s best-known player and saying “it will be interesting to see what happens.” We all understood that any person clicking the article would just scroll to find the time and channel.

Can you tell, because I keep saying “channel,” that my time in this gig pre-dates our current heyday of streaming services? Never mind real-time betting on DraftKings. People still had to wonder if they could watch the game in real time.

I knew who those articles were for, and I could make the connection to what questions people were asking search engines. So, when I wondered about this computer gambling piece yesterday, I could only figure that it represents the next evolution of “how to watch.”

Now people are searching “what to bet.”

Stuff I'm enjoying

• One of my favorite stops over on Substack is Tommy Tomlinson's Writing Shed. On theme with today's newsletter, I was especially heartened by his recent post about getting older.
• While you're there, I'll also recommend Hot Tip by Alex Friedman. If you're like me and need to keep the news at arm's length for your sanity, I think she strikes a good balance with injecting humor into the otherwise horrible.
• I'm watching Brooklyn 99 again. If you want a happy and kind of silly show, I think you should give it a try.

It's a bad thing

This past May, Lance McCullers Jr. made his first start of the season for the Houston Astros after missing time with an injury. He pitched poorly, allowing seven runs in just one inning of work.

It happens. Tough days like that are part of the fabric of MLB’s long season, for individual players and for teams. As these professionals deal with those days, however, there is a new factor in their lives: angry gamblers.

ESPN reports that an intoxicated bettor threatened McCullers and his family after the bad start. In the course of that story, ESPN shares quotes from other players about the state of things as gambling is legalized and promoted by the leagues.

For example, Christian Yelich said the following about threats and angry messages online:

"I think over the last few years it's definitely increased. It's increased to the point that you're just, 'All right, here we go.' It doesn't even really register on your radar anymore. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing.”

It’s definitely a bad thing.

It’s also not a new thing. Players increasingly just view it as the new reality. Here’s a clip of Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter, Jr., formerly teammates on the Denver Nuggets, discussing the topic in a way that echoes Yelich’s comments.

By the way, I'm reluctant to ever share something from or even acknowledge the existence of "Curious Mike." But I'll make an exception here.

While it’s impressive how resilient these athletes are as they roll this issue up with the other challenges of being famous, I think most people would agree death threats shouldn’t be normalized this way.

Presumably the people in charge of the leagues would also agree. It’s just hard for them to find the space to say so between all the DraftKings ads.

A video

Left to my own devices, I don't think I would be a Lamar Jackson fan. Not that I would be anti-Lamar. I would likely be Lamar-neutral, but certainly in awe of some of his accomplishments and plays on the field.

But I am not left to my own fan devices these days. I am persuaded and nudged into different directions by the teams and players that my son cheers for. And he thinks Lamar Jackson is the coolest player in any sport.

Between that and my enthusiastically rooting against Aaron Rodgers, I was really cheering for the Ravens to beat the Steelers on Sunday night.

That rooting interest didn't work out in the end, and we all have to deal with Aaron Rodgers legacy talk for at least a week. But in the process, Lamar Jackson made one of the craziest, most impressive plays I have ever seen.

When you watch a play like that, it's easy to see why a kid would pick Lamar as his favorite player.