Super Bowl Sunday may be my favorite holiday. I love watching and talking about football, so a night dedicated to everyone in America sitting in front of their televisions, eating pizza and wings, is an ideal way for me to spend an evening. Over the last couple of seasons, however, Super Bowl conversations have primarily focused on one thing.
Betting.
Debates over the color of the Gatorade bath and the first song of the halftime show fill the room. Renditions of the national anthem compete for volume with conversations about how long it will last. And these are just fans’ low-stakes bets.
This problem does not exist only in the Super Bowl, or even just in football. Across all sports, there has been a growing issue of allowing bets to dictate how fans support teams, and it is destroying the love of the game.
For a time, this was me as well. My Saturday mornings were spent researching betting lines and statistics on players and teams I had no allegiance to. I would sit on the couch watching five games at a time, letting the outcomes determine my demeanor for the week. Not because I was attached to the story of the game, but because of the money I had riding on it. I needed a reason to care, and betting gave it to me.
I acknowledge the desire to have something to cheer for, but money cannot be the answer. Sports are a beautiful thing. They build communities. They tell stories. They inspire and build people up. Betting pushes those elements aside.
I am tired of hearing that these simple “harmless” bets are what make the Super Bowl fun and interesting. Studies from the American Gaming Association say more than 50 million Americans bet on the Super Bowl to add entertainment. As if a game between the two best teams in the league, featuring A-list musicians and companies spending more than $6 million for just 30 seconds of commercial time packed with celebrities and cameos, needs added entertainment.
Betting does not mean you are a fan of the game. It means you have forgotten the point of the game.
Sports Editor
