FOLIO
Words by Quinn Gray (Gray’s Gridiron)
Upon your first step into any stadium, sports bar or tailgate, chances are the first words you’ll hear buzzing around you aren’t about fans cheering for their favorite team, but rather sports fans chatting about the performance of fantasy teams or projections for that night’s parlay. Unless a fan has the money line on a certain team winning, chances are they’re hoping a couple players on either side score a touchdown or reach their “over” on receptions. It’s true, these digital enhancements to your sports experience can provide new stakes and something to cheer for other than your middling squad, but it’s also indicative of the increasing digitalization of the industry.
Sports betting is legal in 38 U.S. states with 30 of those offering online sports betting. The industry has rapidly grown since 2018, when the Supreme Court declared the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, passed in 1992, was unconstitutional. Doing so is what allowed online betting to take off, increasing dramatically over the last six years as sports betting sites began to advertise during sports broadcasts and on social media. With fans being able to legally bet on sports and seeing these companies so much more often, the user base has increased exponentially since 2018, with over $220 billion being wagered in the United States on sports.
The impact this has had on football is evident in everyday conversation with fans of major sports. Whether it be excitement on their bet last night hitting or disappointment in the performance of the players in their parlays, bettors often begin to think of the players as numbers, rather than humans. Rams running back Kyren Williams, for example, is looked at as a safe bet to score an anytime touchdown, rather than the person who works every day to carry the ball for L.A. Recently, Courtland Sutton was known as “the guy who sold everyone’s picks,” rather than the Broncos’ top wide receiver working to establish chemistry with his rookie Quarterback.
It’s insulting to the people who work every day to give their best to their team to be treated as nothing more than fantasy points or a dollar amount that a fan could win or lose.
Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers is the guy who was considered “the worst first overall pick,” rather than the decorated running back working his way back from a difficult injury. In fact, outbursts from angry bettors on social media have become a notable stain on sports culture with people who lose their fantasy matchups or miss a leg on their parlay due to poor performance from an individual player choosing to attack them online. Players have outwardly spoken about their lack of interest about the fans’ bets and fantasy football teams, likely because of the hate they receive weekly about whether their performance was up to snuff in the eyes of the people placing money on them. Lions running back David Montgomery recently shared his experiences with it during his rookie year in 2019 (interestingly enough, the year after betting was legalized) and how the stress of the NFL and online posts from fans angry with his performances pushed him to a point of depression.
Fantasy football should be a way for fans to enjoy watching players they draft contribute to their teams and add an entertaining aspect to games that fans usually would have no stake in. However, using it as fuel to express hateful emotions toward players brings nothing to the sport and is a sign of the dangers of this increased digitization of sports. Despite the obvious issues that have arisen from these relatively new ways to interact with sports, America’s major sports would not be the same today without them. For every fan who can’t handle a subpar performance from their team, there are just as many who treat it as exactly what it should be treated as, a game.
The unfortunate reality of any activity with money involved is that it will amplify feelings of joy and anger, leading to the gambling addictions that many bettors develop and to the intense reactions to losing that others have. Practicing restraint and betting responsibly on the NFL is a great way to make Thursdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays more exciting and competitive — with maybe a little extra cash hitting your bank on the side. It’s important to always remember that the people you’re betting on have more at stake than a parlay or a fantasy matchup.
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