It's how racketeering style criminals work the world over. Celebrities are always attracted to that kinda crowd for whatever reason, all it takes is to run a line of credit on a card game or leave yourself open to them getting a hook into you. Once they've got you they're maybe not as friendly, like you're talking four of the five god damn families, is there any more credible a threat to you, your family, your kids when the history's so well known? I dunno how easy it is to tell the Genovese family no if you've got yourself into a loan with 600% interest when they say "Hey Chuancey, we need you to invite this person to play poker, we'll take it against that debt. We'll give you 50k too, we wouldn't want to see you out of pocket" etc etc
A proliferation of gambling scandals after sports betting basically takes over the entire advertising world for sports? Whoda thunk it?
Fortunately for us, the way we develop future professional athletes is so heavily controlled and regulated right now, it makes this kind of exploitation of college athletes a near impossibility. Imagine a system where different schools compete to pay millions of dollars to graduating high school students, yet specifically forbid them from hiring licensed, experienced representation that is focused on maximizing their future athletic talent, only having a patchwork state-based regulation of such agents that is ripe for exploitation. Imagine opening the door to allowing these developing athletes who are coming into life-changing money to now gamble openly on professional sports, meaning that anyone who partakes is going to be burning their endorsement money quickly, and will have no other venue to make it up without relying on certain, extra-legal methods. Imagine the amount of leverage that a broker who loans a student-athlete money is going to have, knowing that if the information comes out at any time during such a player's professional career it would cost them their reputation and instantly blackball them from the league forever. I'm so glad that this is purely a hypothetical situation, because the current NCAA has such upstanding morals, conviction, and takes seriously its duty to protect its athletes over maximizing profit. If we didn't have such a strong, centralized governing body, and a functioning federal government who could properly investigate and establish guardrails, that other hypothetical environment sounds like an absolute hellscape, and a future disaster waiting to happen.
Pray tell what, if anything, in today’s America ISN’T corrupt?!! Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”
We are Houston fans... our city is built on corruption... look up the John Sharp scandal, Enron, and Lakewood.
I do agree with Kenny Smith, it’s often addiction, but it can also be debt. Look at their bottom line first, but if the player is wealthy, it’s probably more so addiction than stupidity.
Players are idiots. Its not their fault that they're idiots. The got little education and came into large sums of money that is now targeted by women, gamblers, shady money managers, shady investors, crooked family members, real estate agents, car salesmen.....these players are worth a fraction of what everyone thinks they are. And thats when they resort to making money in other ways. Jordan probably got his dad killed because he didnt pay off a gambling debt. How is that possible considering the money he was making? Harden got locked out of his own restaurant here. Not because he couldn't pay it probably. He was likely giving the rent money to someone who wasnt using it to pay the rent. As the old saying goes. A fool and his money are soon parted.
NBA has been rigged, players are just paid sports actors at this point. No one find it strange the score for HOU vs OKC ended being 124 - 125 the same as the championship banner (24 - 25) for OKC. Had a notification that the Rockets had 70% chance to win against Detroit, but they end up trailing the whole game. Harden and CP3 are obvious jobbers for losing in the playoffs, if either of those guys are on your team you ain't winning. Jalen Green definitely needs to be checked for his playoff stint last season. He might be the next harden/CP3. To this day don't think Durant tore his Achilles, they just wanted to end the super team setup schemes they had going on since Lebron. Rockets vs GSW series is obvious, but they also had advertisements for the NBA finals ft. GSW vs Cavs while Rockets were still in the middle of their series with GSW. Sports betting, scripted matches, and refs nicknamed "The Extender" for ratings it's all for entertainment.
You can see all the evidence of the league's corruption by following the Lakers. They're given Luka Doncic for a huge discount in an unprecedented move where the Mavericks GM and owner didn't even discuss Luka's availability with any other team. Then they're given Deandre Ayton and Marcus Smart for nothing and they're only paying a small portion of each players salary this season. Last night the league gave them 28 more free throws than the Sacramento Kings. That's without Luka and Lebron playing. That's insane. The NBA will do everything possible to drag the Lakers to the Finals. There is your corruption. Anything for ratings.
They banned Jontay Porter for life but I wonder what they will do when a star player gets caught gambling.
