Edge of Extinction: Who’ll be the first to go in 2019 NFL QB class?

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February 27, 2019

ec63dc8d-9529-4ff6-bde8-80828dd29dee-USATSI_11771553 — Image courtesy of USA Today

The 2019 NFL quarterback class hasn’t generated the buzz of last year’s prospects at the position. However, there are plenty of franchise quarterback candidates and future starters in the group.

Even so, no NFL draft is an exact science, meaning these quarterbacks can prove doubters wrong. Of course, the right team must select the correct signal caller, plus have a system in place to succeed. In today’s NFL, most first QBs play right away instead of waiting and learning the position. With this in mind, SportsRadioAmerica.com examines three of the top quarterback prospects this year.

Kyler Murray

Despite his size, Murray has dynamic arm strength. He’s an extremely explosive quarterback athlete who makes up for his lacks of ideal height with high football IQ. He flashes the touch to make all NFL throws and has the “wow” power to penetrate deep down the field. In his college offense, the majority of his decisions were made pre-snap.

When Murray resorts to scrambling around, he’s at his best. He needs to work on his progression reads on a consistent basis, as he’s quick to scramble. He’s an electric runner, but NFL defenses will adapt. Overall, Murray has the tools to be an NFL starter, but I have concerns about his durability. As Baker Mayfield and Russell Wilson have shown, shorter QBs can succeed in the NFL.

Dwayne Haskins

Haskins is the most pure pocket passer in this year’s draft. He has outstanding arm strength, poise and production. He can drive the football into tight widows and has a beautiful touch on his deep ball. Haskins has a tendency to get a little aggressive at times and throw into coverage he shouldn’t.

His biggest issue arises when he’s forced to move off his spot in the pocket. Throwing on the run, his accuracy is average. He’s used sparingly on designed QB runs. Overall, Haskins has the necessary tools to win games from the pocket and must learn to use his legs to escape pressure, lest he become a standing target.

Drew Lock

Standing at 6’4” and 225 lbs., Lock has the size and ability the NFL dreams of. He owns a quick release on his throws. He’s tremendous at placing the ball between coverage of a corner and safety versus. He also has one of the best pump fakes in this year’s draft class.

Lock gets sloppy with his footwork at times, which causes him to throw balls high over receiver’s heads. He’s very aggressive, which leads to explosive plays, but frequent turnovers. You’ll have to take the good with the bad with Lock. While his footwork may be sloppy, he’s nimble enough in the pocket to escape pressure there. He’s an excellent athlete. Overall, Lock needs to polish his footwork and tone down turnovers, but he has a special skill set and tremendous upside to lead a team.

Regulating the Dealmakers

By

Jeremy Evans

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February 24, 2019

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Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press; Former chess World Champion Garry Kasparov makes a move against Anatoly Karpov during an exhibition rematch in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

This author has written previously on the differences between agents and attorneys. The first article was entitled “Ethical and Practical Implications and differences between Sports Agents and Attorneys,” and the second, “Lawyers, Agents, and the Blurred Lines Regulating Talent Representation.” A third article was written about the close relationships between agencies, streaming services, studios, and talent entitled “Circular Integration in the Entertainment Industry: Good for Business or ‘Over-The-Top’ Antitrust Violations?”

The above articles demonstrate the main issues at heart in the debate between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the major talent agencies. However, the existing and brewing debate goes beyond the WGA. Mainly, that conflicts of interest may arise where talent is packaged in deals with studios for production and distribution thus driving down pay rates and opportunities. What complicates the agent-talent relationship further is that agencies have now become or are trying to become the studios for production and distribution made available through the advent of streaming and social media platforms and partnerships. For better or worse, the talent dealmakers have now also become the content creators, producers, and distributors.

A conflict of interest is what happens when talent is somehow lost to opportunity, success, or pay by way of a relationship that the agent or representative has with someone or something else that competes with the talent. This conflict could be with another actor client, studio, etc. Imagine, for example, two actors competing for the same role represented by the same agent or agency. Conflicts are something attorneys must avoid or risk losing the client, getting fined, and/or disbarred.

The main WGA complaint is about leverage, fairness, and a bigger slice of the pie. Agents and agencies representing talent in the entertainment, media, and sports industries do have an argument against conflicts in that it is the studios, teams, and networks that choose the talent for a role, position, or post, not the agents. However, in the legal field, judges and arbitrators make decisions as well, not the attorneys for their clients. On the other hand, it may also be that the agency business is more attuned to the bidding process in a negotiation where the attorney-client relationship standards are not necessary and may be impractical.

There are three points to consider in this debate on whether agents in the entertainment, media, and sports space should be treated to the same or similar conflicts of interest rules and regulations as attorneys.

1. Practicality

The rules against in-person contact and the multi-jurisdictional practice of law make it difficult for attorneys to work as agents, but the same rules including the conflicts of interest do not apply to agents. However, agents have specific knowledge in representing talent and the debate becomes what is practical. The debate is whether practicality should overcome whether the ethical rules applicable to attorneys or a similar standard should apply to agents.

2. Antitrust

Will the more recent practices of the agencies in talent sales, packaging, production, and distribution bring the attention of the United States Justice Department? If the unions do not push for change, the government just might. Time will tell.

3. Unions

Will the Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), the Directors Guild of America (DGA), and other unions join the WGA in the debate and the power struggle with the agencies? Each union does have a specific constituency with differing needs and interests. One thing is certain, the agent Code of Conduct suggested by the WGA if implemented would be a turning point in Hollywood dealmaking that could produce change with the Talent Agencies Act, the Miller-Ayala Act, and both the agency and legal industries (at the least) in California. For example, if agents are immediately conflicted out of representing certain talent, would attorneys be the first industry to fill the gap based on the conflict of interest rules of professional conduct already in place for attorneys?

Between the practicality, antitrust, and unions involved in the arguments for and against a proposed agent Code of Conduct, the debate will hopefully bring some clarity to roles, opportunities, obligations, and more money in your pocketbook.

Seedtime and harvest

By

Julian Shipp

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February 22, 2019

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Edwin Kibichiy — Image courtesy of YouTube.com

The Anthem 5K Fitness Classic is Feb. 23 in Louisville, Ky.

Last year’s winner, Edwin Kibichly of Kenya, ran a 14:09 (4:33 per mile). As a Christ follower, his Twitter profile reads, “Don’t give up on what God has called you to do. The end result is worth the pain.”

Galatians 6:9 reads, “Let us not grow weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Remember, you can’t have a harvest without some rain!

Tech, Data, and You

By

Jeremy Evans

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February 18, 2019

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BN-EO113_watson_G_20140916100255 — Photo Courtesy of the Associated Press

Data and analytics pervades nearly aspect of our lives, especially in sports and media and more often now in entertainment.

The NHL now has smart pucks that track player use and engagement. In some sense a genius move because it does not require the player to wear anything that invades his privacy further like a wrist band or chip. The MLB and the Players Union are arguing over whether the lack of a fast-developing free agent market is because of collusion or analytics. The NBA is using cameras to track player data for analytics and recently introduced fan cameras that helps with marketing and analytics for a more engaging experience. For the 2018 season, the NFL introduced player data of opponents for analytics and competitive advantage purposes. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is having its Sloan Sports School of Management Conference this year on the MLS and their growing use of technology to track and analyze data to take an advantage over opponents on the pitch, in the board room, and in marketing and sales.

On the entertainment side, Legendary Entertainment, a Chinese-owned company is the quintessential modern example of analytics and movies. Legendary is using data-collection analytics to produce and market (e.g., sell) more films through the old and new four-quadrant models. IBM and Qubole are just two examples of the growing list of companies servicing the entertainment and media industries as they grow to trust and use data for analytics via social media, sales, and consumer interests.

The Esports/gaming and its growing billion dollar industry is kind of the marriage between entertainment, media, and sports through technology, data, and analytics. Social media drives traffic to live events, pomp, and circumstance, while gamers are the talent being paid by media and merchandise deals.

What does all of this change, numbers, data, information, and analytics mean? There are three important points to keep in mind.

1. Privacy

Approval has to be granted or the owner has to waive his rights to such data. This is done through contracts, licensing, and waiver forms. Before data may be collected, it must be agreed to be collected. Of course, in the legal terms, this could also mean an assumption of being filmed (think attending a sporting event/read the back of your ticket next time).

A broader issue, at least when it comes to the players, the athletes whom we watch and analyze, is HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) that the United States Congress passed that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical information. The players through their union generally approve such collection of private data about their bodies. Of course, many companies have gotten into trouble for collecting data without obtaining the proper approvals.

2. Usage

The players unions will continue to play an important role because as data becomes more readily available for analyzing it will indeed provide opportunities for placing a level of importance on such information. This means one company or team will prefer or use data differently for interpretation and implementation. Whether the entertainment unions will play a role in managing data is yet to be seen and even though more movie sales and television views are great for the bottom-line, data might also mean some movies and television shows are not made from the creatives based on data and analytics where actors and below the line talent are also out of work. Sounds a lot like Major League Baseball’s current dilemma.

3. Protection

The proverbial bag or Pandora’s Box has been opened with data and analytics. It is safe to say that information-collecting will continue to grow. Protection will play an important role in collecting, using, sharing, and analyzing data about people. The public, the studios, and the leagues are the gate-keepers. On the one hand, a hockey puck will say a skater has slowed a step or two and that will likely mean less money in a free agent year. However, on the other hand, it also allows people, executives, and businesses to make rational decisions based on what the data is telling them. Of course, the problem becomes what is more important, data or intangibles? The best analysts will use both, responsibly.

We live in an interesting time where data can seem like it is very important, however, it has and always will be more important on how we collect, use, and interpret data. Having data is not enough, analyzing determines outcomes and plans for company, league, and franchise action. Ethics will continue to play a role with intangibles that cannot be quantified, but qualified by data analytics.

Production Today: Getting your Film or Television Series to Market

By

Jeremy Evans

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February 10, 2019

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With news that Major League Baseball is giving streaming rights to each of the individual 30 franchises, which is a full topic within itself when analyzing how baseball differs from the National Football League in local versus national contracts and distribution, it came to mind what it takes to produce a movie or television series. The process in sports with producing content for television whether on a linear or streaming platform is different from a movie or television show. With sports, the intellectual property (IP), copyrights and trademarks, are well accepted as owned by the team or league and distributors distribute that content after paying a licensing fee or purchasing the rights for a specified term from the team or league. Production is in the form of what talent (e.g., commentators) will present the content and where it will be broadcasted (e.g., platform(s)).

In the film and television industry, the process is similar in the sense that the below points are still tackled by the property rights holders and interested partners (licensing or otherwise), but the difference is that sports content creates itself by being played. Meaning, athletes, teams, and leagues create the content by playing the sport, which is almost exclusively done live (think of sports as the improv of entertainment). In contrast, in the film and television industry a script (film) or pilot (television series) has to be created or adapted from a book or some other format (i.e., original or derivative works).

Producing entertainment and sports content can be complicated and difficult, the steps below lay out what is the general format of a properly structured production process for a film or television series.

Corporate Formation

The first step is setting up the Limited Liability Company (LLC), the preferred structure in entertainment because it gives the member(s) of the entity the tax benefits of a corporation, but without the corporate requirements of stock options, board meetings, and SEC filings and liabilities. The LLC is also fairly easy to set up and should be considering the fickleness of movie and television series-making when it comes to an idea becoming a successful money-making and award-winning expression.

Clearing the IP

Where something is being created, borrowed, or adapted, it needs to be cleared for use. Meaning, anytime something is written, the person or entity using it, unless creating an original idea without connection to something else, needs to clear its history for ownership and use. Has it been used, sold, licensed, etc.? Of course, nearly every idea is connected to something so making sure there is a clear line for using it properly and paying the proper licensing fee(s) is important. A legitimate studio will not consider teaming up on a project without proper clearances and they will most certainly run their own IP clearance process.

Creating the IP

There is a difference between an idea and an expression. An idea is generally not protected by copyright, where an expression can be. As an example, think of an inverted pyramid with the top and narrowest area pointed towards the ground and the widest part (the base) closest to the sky. At the bottom, there is an idea, which is simple and common (a man and woman fall in love), but ideas are not protected by copyright law without something more or a contract. As you move upwards towards the sky into the wider part of the pyramid adding more information, details, and a story, the idea becomes an expression. Expressions can be copyrightable and protected. Therefore, there is an incentive to create the IP (an expression) as opposed to shopping an idea that is generally unprotected. On the other hand, creating very specific IP may also limit protection to the script or pilot created.

Protecting the IP

Copyright is established once it is fixed in a tangible medium of expression (think writing your expression in a script or as a book). While filing for federal copyright protection has its legal (litigation) benefits, it is not required for establishing a copyright; filing is really more important for protecting a copyright, which of course is also important and something any studio, distributor, or streamer would want secured before entering into a production or distribution agreement for a film or television series.

Protection is done through copyright creation, protection (filing), contracts, and non-disclosure agreements (NDA). Another avenue of protection is through registering a script or pilot with a local or national union.

Shopping the IP

Once the corporate structure is established and the IP is cleared, created, and protected, it is time to shop (e.g., sell) the product for production and distribution. (Festivals can be a great driver of shopping and awards-recognition; like theatrical runs can rule the day for the Academy Awards). Without the previous steps, a project will not get to this stage and if it does, legal issues will most definitely follow and recovery for infringement will be difficult without copyright protection, a contract, or recovery based on an equitable remedy, quantum meruit, or reliance.

Shopping is where the three “R’s” of business apply: referrals, relationships, and reputation. With all three, one is much more likely to find a buyer for what they are selling, and for the creatives, a great story or personality will of course help and could be the driving force! The human factor cannot be forgotten.

Contracts and Money

Where the rubber meets the road, or the expression meets the paper or camera. Think, employment and management contracts with business, legal, and talent, with union issues and directives where applicable. Revenues and splits. Accounting and audits. Terms and conditions. Work-for-hire, ownership, and much more. These contracts and the money negotiations and agreements to follow could happen earlier or later on in the process, especially if talent is attached to a script (actor, director, or producer) through packaging or as individuals. This is where the talent team, the studio, and proper advice will help drive the production process in the right direction.

Although the above is not an extensive or exhaustive list on film and television production, nor should it be considered legal advice, possibly it could be a start to getting your content produced. The article also demonstrates the differences between sports and entertainment content production.

New Professional Football Leagues Offer Alternative and Quest for Change

By

Jeremy Evans

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February 4, 2019

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The buy-in is an emerging and growing one. Turner-owned platforms TNT and Bleacher Report (BR) B/R LIVE will be airing/streaming the Alliance of American Football (Alliance) games beginning in February 2019.

The NFL Network, CBS, and CBS-owned CBS Sports Network round out the Alliance partners for coverage of all 40 games between the League’s 8 teams over a 10-week regular season (compared to the 256 National Football League’s (NFL) regular season games between their 32 teams, over 17 weeks where each team gets a bye week). Presumably, as the Alliance grows in influence other broadcasters and streamers will join the Alliance, but for now will watch from the sidelines waiting to see viewership levels before committing to become a broadcaster and/or distributor of Alliance content. However, getting in on the ground floor, should the Alliance be as successful as its leaders think and hope it will be, the first believers may become the most successful and trusted. They would indeed have made a wise investment. One thing is certain, Alliance and other new league content will not be nearly as expensive to place advertisements, but then again as the viewership ratings grow so will the cost to do business.

There is also the reoccurring XFL and new Pacific Pro Football (PPF) leagues, which both begin play in 2020. The XFL will, like the Alliance, include 8 teams who play over a 10-week regular season with playoffs and take place in the winter and spring months so that it will not compete with the NFL’s schedule. The PPF will play 8 games between 4 teams during the summer months again under the same non-competition theory as described above. The PPF will only be played in the state of California, where the Alliance and XFL will have teams all over the country in strategic cities. Essentially, if all three new leagues are successful there will, at least for 2020, be football during every season of the year.

Charlie Ebersol, son of Dick Ebersol, is heading up the Alliance with Co-Founder Bill Polian. Dick Ebersol once helped launch the first XFL with Vince McMahon and is now on the Board of Directors for the competitor Alliance. McMahon has teamed up with Oliver Luck (father of Andrew Luck) to lead the new XFL. Super Bowl-winning Tom Brady’s agent Don Yee with Jamie Hemann and Ed McCaffrey head up the PPF.

What is different now? Is this the United States Football League (USFL) and former XFL all over again? Should fans, players, investors, broadcasters, and streamers alike be convinced that things have changed where upstarts can survive against the almighty NFL? Absolutely.

Three things show us as much.

First, the Alliance, PPF, and XFL all offer something different (a different season of the year than the NFL, avoidance of the one-and-done college rules with high school players getting to choose their destiny, less commercials, less replay, and less of the things that many American’s have complained about regarding the NFL).

Second, the Alliance, PPF, and XFL all do one thing above all else, they offer opportunity to prospects and essentially will serve as the much-needed minor league and development systems for the NFL.

Third, the NFL is already buying-in, at least with the Alliance as a broadcast partner through their NFL Network programming. History tells us that when upstart leagues challenge an existing league one of two things happen—they get swallowed up at least in part by the existing and more powerful league, or they fail. Major League Baseball through the American League and senior circuit National League, the American Basketball Association and National Basketball Association, show that when something good is created the more powerful entity will want a piece of the action as opposed to competing. Imagine the possibilities now where the NFL is already buying into at least one new entity, the Alliance.

It is possible to see the PPF becoming the G-League for the NFL (think high school and undrafted college graduates), while the Alliance becomes the next-level minor league feeder system (think more established players and veterans trying to make a run at glory), and the XFL as an alternative MFL (More Fun League) depending on what content McMahon and his team push. The XFL could also become like the Continental League via Branch Rickey that brought more professional baseball teams west of the Mississippi River. Meaning, if the XFL becomes a competitor brand, maybe some of its teams (if hosted in non-NFL cities) might be added to the NFL’s slate of teams.

Interestingly, where the Alliance has secured streaming-type partners and distributors for its games and content, the XFL is said to be in negotiations with more traditional players like ESPN and FOX Sports. On the other side, the PPF has secured a major apparel partner in Adidas, again pushing the theme of a developmental league by securing sponsorship dollars and inventory.

This next one is a long-shot, but imagine if CBS and Viacom teamed up again as one company and Netflix made a play to purchase Viacom since it is already working with Paramount, could Netflix then become the next streamer along with Disney-owned ESPN+, Hulu, and Amazon Prime to purchase sports content? Unlikely at this stage, but interesting to consider.

Again, one thing is certain, this time around, the relationships between the Alliance, NFL, PPF, and XFL seems different and more collaborative. It is possible that the new and existing leagues realize that they need each other to survive. Apple and Microsoft anyone? Competitors need each other to stay sharp and to fight for the consumers attention, wants, and needs. In the end, competition brings a quest for innovation and change where everyone wins or at least the change arrives. Therefore, we should welcome the newcomers. Regardless, the Alliance, PPF, and XFL will push for recognition and acceptance.

Trades Rock NBA as Mavs get Kristaps Porzingis

By

Stephen Patrick

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February 1, 2019

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Well, that was fast! Thursday morning, Kristaps Porzingis let the Knicks’ brass know he was frustrated with the direction of the team and by Thursday afternoon, he was a Knick no more. New York will bring back Dennis Smith Jr. and clear a bunch of salary in the deal by receiving the expiring contracts of DeAndre Jordan and Wesley Matthews, while sending Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee to the Mavericks. The Knicks also get two, future, first-round picks from the Mavericks. Two years ago, the Knicks passed on Dennis Smith Jr.

The Mavericks look at Porzingis as the new Dirk as thy have similar skill sets. Porzingis has career averages of 17.8 points and 7.1 rebounds. The Mavs have given Luka Dončić a co-star to build around for the next decade. For the Knicks, it’s about creating cap room to chase two, maximum-salary, free agents this summer. The Knicks have close ties to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving as future Knicks. Severing the relationships with Porzingis was a must with a player who reportedly has been dissatisfied with the direction of the organization. He also would’ve turned free agents away with his attitude toward the team.

This is a huge gamble for the Mavs as Porzingis has been out for a year with an ACL injury. The Mavericks are currently 23-27, 12th in the Western Conference. As loaded as the West is, there’s almost no chance they’ll make the playoffs. Even if Porzingis returns this season, he and Dončić could be a dangerous tandem, but that’ll have to wait until next season. The West has been put on notice the Mavs look to return to the top of the mountain. This is the first piece of the NBA trade puzzle as Feb. 7 is approaching soon. Let the NBA trading war begin!

The GOAT or the Sack Machine?

By

Stephen Patrick

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January 30, 2019

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The Super Bowl’s nearly upon us. This is the game where stars are born and legacies are cemented. There’s Hall of Fame talent on both teams. Looking at both, the Rams look to have overall better talent while the Patriots, per usual, have the better scheme to beat anyone. In this match-up, will it be New England’s theme schemes or the talent and explosiveness of the Rams that’ll prevail? Or, maybe it will come down to the Sack Machine or the GOAT.

Los Angeles Rams

The player who will decide the game for the Rams is Aaron Donald, who might be the best defensive player of his generation. There have been a few interior defensive tackles who are pass-rushers, but Donald is dominant. He led the league with 20.5 sacks. His run support, while second to his pass rush ability, is still in the upper echelon of the league. Additionally, he can stop the run and pressure Brady and can do more to help deliver Los Angeles a victory than anyone.

“He’s pretty much unblockable,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said.

Donald will likely be named Defensive Player of the Year for the second, straight season. If the Rams win the big one, he could be one of the few defenders to be named Super Bowl MVP. He’s the most unstoppable force in Super Bowl LIII, and even if his numbers don’t show it, he’ll get double and triple-teamed to allow others to make plays.

New England Patriots

One of the most hated men in football outside of Boston is quarterback Tom Brady. Ironically, he might just be the best player at his position in NFL history. There’s no doubt who will make the biggest impact to win the game for New England. Brady’s about to play in his ninth Super Bowl. He’s played half his professional career in February. The Patriots have leaned heavily on the run lately, but if the game comes down to Brady, we’ve seen this movie before.

While there are big names on the Rams defense, they didn’t play well as a unit ranking 19th with 358.6 yards allowed-per-game in the regular season. There simply isn’t a quarterback you’d rather have in a postseason game. Brady may have started to lose a step or two, but he’s undoubtedly one of the best to ever play the game. Rest assured he’ll shoulder the load for New England, but this is nothing new.

Brow Watch: Where will Anthony Davis go?

By

Stephen Patrick

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January 29, 2019

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The NBA trade season is officially here and we’re now on The Brow watch. Speculation surrounding Anthony Davis’ future with the New Orleans Pelicans has been rumored all year.

Now, the clock has started ticking toward the Feb. 7th trade deadline. Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, has informed the Pelicans his client has no intention of signing a contract extension with them this summer and “wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship.”

AD has been connected to the Lakers since LeBron James signed. A lot of shine has faded from Los Angeles’ top prospects as they haven’t raised their game while James has been out with injury. Kyle Kuzma has played the most consistent basketball of the bunch. Kuzma has shown flashes of a future All-Star.

The Lakers last option is to include Kuzma. Adding Brandon Ingram beefs up the deal. While he has had an up and down season, many have compared him to KD. Next would be a decision between Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball. Maybe even a first round pick. The selection would be toward the bottom of the round if the Lakers have Davis and LeBron James under their belt.

The Lakers can play hardball, citing what Davis’ 2019-20 salary does to their offseason flexibility. Good luck getting the Pelicans to care! While everyone has been coming up with trade scenarios, the NBA has launched an investigation. “We commenced an investigation this morning upon reading the reports regarding Anthony Davis,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said.

Ever since AD signed with Klutch Sports Group where LeBron is signed, the writing has been on the wall for some time. The Pelicans reached the playoffs twice in Davis’ first seven years, and they’re on pace to miss the postseason this season. Any team with LeBron James has a deep run into the playoffs on their mind. So now, we play the waiting game.

Gambling – Is it All About The Money?

By

Jeremy Evans

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January 28, 2019

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“Show me the money!” said actors Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. in the iconic film Jerry Maguire. Like Cruise trying to convince client and wide receiver Rod Tidwell (played by Gooding Jr.) about seeing beyond the money, is gambling all about how much money is made? Or should we as a society also consider social responsibility when it comes to gambling?

Here are the three things that could go wrong with the normalization and standardization of state-sponsored gambling across these United States of America:

1. The Four “I’s” of Gambling: Integrity, Impropriety, Investigation, and Incarceration

Pete Rose and the MLB Hall of Fame. The Chicago Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. Michael Jordan, the NBA, and minor league baseball. Examples of gambling and sports gone wrong and why professional sports leagues resisted gambling for such a long time. The normalization of gambling as a game in sports is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it adds tax dollars and other revenues to the coffers, both to state and private entities, while simultaneously reducing the dreaded black market for gambling. Gambling is also a curse because it offends the traditional dividing line between gambling and sports. It becomes less and less likely that one can claim that their integrity and lack of an appearance of impropriety is intact where the leagues are collecting sponsorship dollars and engaging in partnership relationships with gambling houses.

State-sanctioned gambling also increases the likelihood of investigation by private and state entities alike with possible fines and incarceration as a result where violations have occurred.

2. Issues of Game and Sport

Gambling is in some sense a novelty. It was only allowed in three states prior to the Murphy decision by the Supreme Court in 2018. It was something people did in Las Vegas for fun, where the serious gambler made a career out of it, or something on the black market. While losing life and limb for gambling debts is something we mostly see in the movies, the vision for sports leagues, teams, and third-party vendors is to engage more people in their broadcast content by having people, fans or not, holding a stake in the outcome beyond personal favorites. It is like the funny GIF that shows the young boy being asked by his father how do you bet the Patriots to win the Super Bowl, but root for the Rams to win. When people put money down, they tend to care more about outcomes and that increases viewership and spending. Gambling was traditionally viewed as a game, while sports is a profession with unions and television contracts. That line has been blurred by the modern gambling-sports relationship that was helped by the U.S. Supreme Court as well as prior sponsorship deals with fantasy sports companies (who have become the gambling centers), broadcasting, and streaming of gambling tournaments.

3. Personal Debt & Responsibility

Money aside, debt and personal responsibility is and will be a major issue in America in general and especially when it comes with increased access to gambling. How can regulators, leagues, and legislators moderate good behavior? Can they legislate good behavior, good decision-making, and investments? A concern going forward is what effect the normalization and standardization of gambling in sport will have on fans, participants, the athletes, coaches, and the leagues. During ancient Greek and Roman times, laurel leaves were all the rage. The leaves were considered medicinal, hard to get, and a hallucinogenic. The government banned them from public consumption. No one cares about laurel leaves now. Normalization and standardization does that to things and ideas about things. However, the problem here is that increased access to gambling may indeed have actual consequences.

Whether you are an avid gambler or not, we as a society need to monitor its effects on the individual and the masses.

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