If you have ever been inside a Major League Baseball locker room you have probably seen the Rule 21 sign posted in a very prominent place. Rule 21 is the ban on gambling and bribery by all players, coaches, and umpires involved in MLB. Rule 21 was adopted by the Major League owners in the wake of the so-called Black Sox Scandal–where members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox took money from low-level mobsters to intentionally lose the World Series. Rule 21 is why Shoeless Joe Jackson was thrown out of baseball at the prime of his career for taking some of that money (but still leading all batters in hits and RBI during the Series).
Rule 21 is also why Pete Rose was banished from baseball for life after low-level sleazeball bookies made it publicly known that the then-manager of the Cincinnati Reds was betting on baseball and owed them a lot of money. Rose initially denied betting on baseball, then switched to admitting that he bet on baseball but denied betting on the Reds, then switched to admitting to betting on the Reds–but only to win. Rose–like Shoeless Joe–is still not a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame–and likely never will be.
Gambling hangs over sports in America like the Sword of Damocles–held in place by a thin hair–and that constantly threatens its integrity and the public trust. And the NFL got to stand under the sword yesterday with the announcement that Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for the entire 2022 season because he was betting on football last season.
The reaction to the news was divided–mostly along generational lines. Old reporters that have covered sports for decades made the same point that I have–gambling by players, coaches and staff can have direct impacts on the outcomes of the games. But the younger generation that has grown accustomed to betting apps, daily fantasy sports, and state-endorsed sports betting are wondering what all the fuss is about. Countless posts featured arguments that Ridley wasn’t playing in any of the games he bet on–and that he bet on Atlanta to win. So what is the harm? Others pointed out that with the money professional athletes make today, nobody is throwing games because they owe a bookie a couple grand.
The harm comes from the example set by Pete Rose. Major League Baseball’s investigation into Pete’s bets found that he did indeed gamble on the Reds–and that he bet on the Reds to win. But he did not bet on the Reds to win every game. There were patterns where Rose never bet on Cincinnati games started by certain pitchers–or against certain starting pitchers on other teams. Baseball insiders have pointed out that Rose was more likely to manage a bet game differently than one where he had no extra money riding on it–using relievers and pinch hitters in different ways for example. And that has to leave you to wonder: Did Pete Rose not try to win every game as manager of the Cincinnati Reds?
I will admit, modern sports’ stance on gambling is hypocritical. All of the major leagues now openly embrace gambling on their product–but only by the general public. Injury reports are not provided for the edification of the fans–but rather so that oddsmakers and bettors have full information to set their lines. TV networks have gone all in as well–providing in-game odds on point totals, individual player stats, and win probabilities. It’s just a matter of time before franchises will allow in-stadium betting like they have in England for Premiere League soccer matches–or on apps promoted on the jumbotron. And as players see everyone around them making cash based on their performance, they will want to get in on that action too.
While some fans laugh at stories about how NFL players have their own fantasy football leagues–and that they sometimes go against the guys they have in fantasy on the field–I cringe. If I’m a linebacker and I’ve got Cooper Kupp in a fantasy playoff matchup, what’s the harm in letting him get a couple more receiving yards on a few plays to help my team? Or maybe a garbage time touchdown that really doesn’t affect the outcome of the game?
The ultimate irony here is that it is not the leagues themselves that police gambling by players–it is the gambling industry itself. Calvin Ridley was busted by a security system that reviews accounts set up for on-line betting that matched his name to a list of professional athletes. Point shaving scandals in college sports (where the risk of game-fixing is even greater than in the pro game) have all been uncovered by sports books themselves who noticed unusual betting patterns on the team involved.
For fans that love sports just for the sheer joy of winning the game–and not for covering the second half spread–let’s hope our “friends in the desert” (as Brent Musberger calls them) are more vigilant in keeping the games on the up-and-up than those on the field may be.
