I hate sports betting

It seems difficult to have strong opinions these days without getting into dangerous territory. This is why it brings me great pleasure that recent events give me a reason to share one of my favorite strong opinions.

I hate sports betting companies. They make me sick. Their product is corrosive to the spirit and poisonous to the mind. If President Trump ever wanted to test his theory that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue without losing any voters, I would suggest taking aim at the closest bookie.

This is not a moral position. I have no problem with gambling, just like I have no problem with a man who drinks, a greedy woman, or with my students who don’t pay attention during lectures. I get it, vice is fun! To err is human, to forgive is divine.

My real problem with sports betting companies is that they do not respect the game. When you watch a beer commercial during a Sunday afternoon football game, you see friends and family coming together to spend a day together cheering on their team. Long ago, when people still watched baseball, you saw commercials admiring the great Willie Mays. There is a decade-old Super Bowl commercial about cars that still brings a tear to my eye. These show a deep love for something, be it the game, or family, or something about America.

The basic premise of sports betting commercials is that sports are boring. “You want to make every game interesting? Put some skin in the game.” The only thing that will save you from a who-cares matchup between the Panthers and the Jets is to put some money on it! They display a love for nothing, respect for nothing. Only simulated excitement matters to them.

I cannot stand these commercials. I will welcome with open arms any company premised on vice if it acknowledges that sports are beautiful, that America is great, and that our icons are worth looking up to. Sports gambling companies do the exact opposite.

I would strongly support slapping these companies with the same kinds of restrictions we put on tobacco companies: no television ads, prominent displays about the dangers of their products, and no advertising aimed towards children. Then, once we convince Americans about the dangers of these products, we should send bookies back to the slums where they belong: Atlantic City.