By a vote of 6-3, the Supreme Court “Ready, Set, Go” decision has pushed opened the door for sports betting to become legal. First of all, we should not be surprised; after all, it’s America, the Land of the Free.
Oh, that’s right. We (Black people) have not always been free for 400 years. Somebody please educate Kanye West’s dumb *ss. Alcohol, liquor, beer, wine and spirits used to be illegal. Remember?
Hanging Black people in this country at one time was not a crime. Groups of Whites used to do it all the time and celebrate it .Can you say Klu Klux Klan? Until 1947, Black athletes could not play in the Major Leagues. The Supreme Court never got around to voting on that discrimination.
Instead of dealing with the crooked NCAA, the Supreme Court decided to strike down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act that was passed in 1992, keeping Nevada as the only state to offer widespread, State-sanctioned sports betting. Now all states have the power to legalize sports betting.
And they are ready; the states’ casinos and horse tracks were ready to offer sports betting, because it’s all about money for the sports leagues and the individual teams. “I think everybody who owns a top-four professional sports team just basically saw the value of their team double at least,” said billionaire Dallas Mavericks NBA owner Mark Cuban. What I say is: What’s good for the goose is not good for the gander.
The NFL said in a statement that it wants Congress to implement a “core regulatory framework” for sports betting. “The NFL’s longstanding and unwavering commitment to protecting the integrity of our game remains absolute. Congress has long recognized the potential harms posed by sports betting to the integrity of sporting contest and the public confidence in these events.”
I knew what was up last year when the NHL opened the door for Las Vegas and the Golden Knights to buy in as an expansion team at a $500,000,000 franchise fee. Like magic, the team put together by grabbing two unprotected players from each of 30 NHL teams has reached the Stanley Cup Finals in its first season. Seriously, first time ever.
Now the NFL has cleared the way for the Oakland the Raiders to move to Las Vegas. You know what happens in Las Vegas stays in Vegas? On the surface it all looks like fun and games, but it’s a lot deeper than that. It’s about winning and losing on every game and every bet.
Somebody gets paid and somebody gets their head bashed in because they don’t have the ability to pay what they owe and tried to win. Gambling is fun as long as you win. Major League Baseball said the Court’s decision will have “profound effects” on its operation.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who has supported the legalization and regulation of sports betting, said in a statement, “We remain in favor of a federal framework that would provide a uniform approach to sports gambling in states that choose to permit it, but we will remain active in ongoing discussions with state legislatures. Regardless of the particulars of any future sports betting law, the integrity of our game remains our highest priority.”
“We’ve opened up a real circus here, said author Arnie Wexler. “You’re going to have so many people addicted to gambling in the next couple of years it’s going to be crazy. We’re going to have a volcano of gambling addiction in America.”
Get ready for the states’ new game, America, and the new frontier.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, on WDGY-AM 740 Monday and Friday at 9:10 am, and at www.Gamedaygold.com. He also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Follow him on Twitter at FitzBeatSr. Larry welcomes reader responses to info@larry-fitzgerald.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com