Miami Quarterly

Issue date: 12/12/09 Section: Sports

Although we don’t commonly hear the phrases “in the Cubs we trust” or “LeBron bless America,” many Americans have historically treated sports and religion with similar reverence. For every NFL team, there are thousands of fans that come together on gameday and sit in front of their TV. They invest themselves in the game. They become part of the game.

"There is nothing more thrilling and moving than watching your favorite player out on the field," says Jonnie Piluso, a Miami University sophomore and self-proclaimed ESPN addict.

There may also be nothing more heartbreaking than when 100,000 people are brought to their feet in dismay when a player from the opposing team makes a great catch at the end of a tie game.

Sure, people eventually get over the loss, but what about those who have invested more than mere emotion into the game? What about the people with money on the line?

Sports betting has grown into one of the most common, profitable hobbies (and professions) among today's college students in the US. According to a survey conducted by ESPN, in 2008, 118 million Americans gambled on sports. Second only to poker, sports betting is the one of the most popular betting games among college students. In fact, roughly 67 percent of all college-age students bet on sports. In addition, about 30 percent of college athletes bet on sports, with four percent betting on their own games. Although only four states (Nevada, Oregon, Montana and Delaware) allow sports gambling, Web sites controlled by other countries such as Canada - where sports betting is legal - allow Americans to legally make online bets.

Some people think betting on sports takes away from love of the game. It's borderline "sacrilegious," if you will. To some it's like turning a football game into a blackjack table at a Las Vegas casino, changing sports from a sacred activity to a form of moneymaking entertainment for fans.

"I think sports themselves have always been loved and considered a form of entertainment, it's the fans that have changed," Piluso says. "The players remain players who are playing to win their game".

Although some people bet on sports just to make money, there is also a unique excitement that comes hand-in-hand with the hobby. Miami junior John Brick knows firsthand how it feels to bet on a game.

"When you have money on a game, you build up suspension for the entire game," Brick says. "It's an unreal feeling you can get nowhere else," Brick says.

Brick began sports betting his freshman year, after coming to college and meeting people equally in love with sports. Brick bets on football and the NBA playoffs, the sports he knows the most about. They are also the most popular sports to bet on among college students, along with March Madness brackets.

Although some students like Brick are careful about their betting habits, there are thousands of people who get addicted to this 'unreal feeling.'

Miami sophomore Kevin DeWitt says sports betters have to be careful to not fall into this trap.

"It's all about being smart on how you bet and how much you bet," DeWitt says. "Knowing how easy it is to lose makes it easy to take a break."

Sport betting is not for everyone. It isn't all about luck, but about strategy and how much you know about the sport, its teams and their players.

"It takes a true sports fan to bet on sports," DeWitt says.

Brick agrees.

"I do 'my homework' before every game I bet on. When I watch ESPN, I look and listen to everything as though I were studying for a test. You essentially are studying the sport and how the players interact," Brick says.

But what happens when your team is supposed to lose? Who do you put your money on? Betting on sports can create a conflict of interest for avid fans. Take Super Bowl XLII, for example. The Giants beat the undefeated Patriots in one of biggest upsets in sports history. Yes, "true" Giants fans may have stayed loyal, using their heart (vs. head) to gamble on their beloved team, but with money on the line, do most fans' loyalties stay strong?

"Emotion has to be set aside to bet successfully, but many people would never even think about betting against their team," Brick says. "Betting is all about what you know and having faith. Well, a little luck wouldn't hurt either."

All sports in the US,including professional and collegiate, strictly forbid players and athletes to place bets on the sports they play. Betting on their own games would be the kiss of death to their athletic careers. Cincinnati Reds fans remember Pete Rose, one of the best baseball players of the 1970's and arguably of all time. Rose liked to bet, but his downfall came while he was manager of the Reds and word spread that he bet on baseball. As a result, Rose was permanently banned from the game.

So how does an athlete who doesn't bet on sports feel about all this? Only the athletes understand the work and pressure that comes with collegiate and professional athletics. Miami sophomore football player Brett Hoffman stays out of the betting world and says sports betting doesn't change his performance during games.

"If people want to spend their money betting on games then that's their business," Hoffman says. "Just because people bet on my game shouldn't hold me to a higher standard."

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