Tell me again how the NFL's popularity is not linked to gambling

[Crapshoot]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1860534

One of the arguements that many american football fans disagree with is the idea that popularity of american football vs baseball is due in some part to the wagering and gambling involved. When I see articles like this however, it seems hard to believe that Taglibue isnt attempting to meet this market segment. Why does the lack of specific injury information have any effect on the team one is playing ? It doesnt- it seems to have little to do with the game on the field, and more to do with the fact that injuries are useful information that can change betting/fantasy/etc patterns. Consider that the NFL has the most detailed injury system around (Why do teams have to list players as probable, possible, maybe, unlikely to play ? ), Im curious as to what other intended effect one could derive from this announcement.

[Easy Mac]

Well... I'll try:

I like football;
I don't gamble;
--------------
football's likeability is not linked to gambling.


That was too easy.

[RainRaven]

I was puzzled by this today as well Aadik. I didn't link it to gambling but it seems like we get a ton of information already. Why does it matter if a guy has a "injured leg" or a pulled hamstring? If the guy shows up on the field then you play him aganist him, otherwise you don't.

[Marmel]

Well... I'll try:

I like football;
I don't gamble;
--------------
football's likeability is not linked to gambling.


That was too easy.


I like March Madness
I dont gamble
---------------------
March Madness's likeability is not linked to gambling.


Do you see anything wrong with that? Of course you do. I think you meant to say the reason YOU like football is not linked to gambling. I am sure that football, March Madness and other sporting events get increased interest from the public simply because of gambling.

[FBPro]

Well... I'll try:

I like football;
I don't gamble;
--------------
football's likeability is not linked to gambling.


That was too easy.

Pretty much says it for me as well.

[The_herd]

We all know Football's popularity is directly linked to the violent nature of the sport.

[Danny]

Of course its popularity is linked to gambling. I don't do any major gambling. I do play fantasy football and have played in my dad's office pool. I'd be a fan even if I didn't do those things, but there's no question they do increase my enjoyment of the sport. I also know individuals whose only interest in the sport is gambling.

[Easy Mac]

I like March Madness
I dont gamble
---------------------
March Madness's likeability is not linked to gambling.


Do you see anything wrong with that? Of course you do. I think you meant to say the reason YOU like football is not linked to gambling. I am sure that football, March Madness and other sporting events get increased interest from the public simply because of gambling.
Or people like watching others do what they can't do themselves, and love watching sports at the highest level in the most intense situations.

Do people watch simply for gambling, I'm sure they do, but I don't think its anything but a very tiny percent that improves a sports likeability.

[The_herd]

Of course its popularity is linked to gambling. I don't do any major gambling. I do play fantasy football and have played in my dad's office pool. I'd be a fan even if I didn't do those things, but there's no question they do increase my enjoyment of the sport. I also know individuals whose only interest in the sport is gambling.

I think this is true to an extent, but before Fantasy Football became widespread, it was still the most popular sport in the U.S. Fantasy Football and Gambling probably brings in a very small percentage, not big enough to change the fact that it is widely more popular than Baseball or Basketball. The fact that its the easiest sport to gamble on, with most games on Saturday and Sunday, draws the Gamblers to the sport.

There is no question these things enhance its enjoyment, but they aren't linked to its popularity in the U.S. The NFL can thank the NBA for becoming a joke and baseball screwing things up every chance they get.

[DeToxRox]

Football is easier to link to gambling because its one week of games.

Its easier to make one big bet for a football game in a week then seven small baseball bets, etc.

or, thats how i feel anyways

[Sharpieman]

I think this is true to an extent, but before Fantasy Football became widespread, it was still the most popular sport in the U.S. Fantasy Football and Gambling probably brings in a very small percentage, not big enough to change the fact that it is widely more popular than Baseball or Basketball. The fact that its the easiest sport to gamble on, with most games on Saturday and Sunday, draws the Gamblers to the sport.

There is no question these things enhance its enjoyment, but they aren't linked to its popularity in the U.S. The NFL can thank the NBA for becoming a joke and baseball screwing things up every chance they get.
I totally agree. Gambling on football does add a few more fans to the sport, but there are many reasons why the NFL draws more fans in the US. One of the biggest reasons is that the NFL is a better run institution than the MLB and NBA.

[Gary Gorski]

I agree with Aadik - the NFL's popularity can partially be attributed to gambling. No that doesn't mean that everyone who likes football likes to gamble on it - there are plenty of people who like football because its football but there are also a LOT of people who like football because they can gamble on it. The same is absolutely true for March Madness.

How many of you have ever worked in an office where someone ran a weekly football pool or had a fantasy league with the people there or ran a March Madness pool? Ok now how many of you have someone in your office who's gathering bets for the MLB, NBA or NHL games? How many times have you seen ESPN personalities mention who their picks are for the week's NFL games BASED ON THE SPREAD and how many times do you see them make predictions on a NBA game based on the spread?

The NFL is the most popular league because it not only appeals to the people who actually like football but it appeals to gamblers as well. There are a limited number of games, the games are on weekends so you can watch all of them, there's the chance for a very wide range of scoring making it good odds for the house and its become acceptable to gamble on the NFL in society. If you're laying down bets on every Yankees game someone's going to think you're a gambling addict but if you're in 4 or 5 fantasy leagues and betting on a couple games each Sunday you're just one of the guys. On top of that there is MUCH more info available to base your bets on - you've got teams forced to disclose info like in that article plus 10 million "experts" bringing you the latest news all over the internet not to mention the couple of TV shows just about fantasy football now.

Their popularity isnt ALL about gambling - lots of people just love football whether its high school, college or pro and with the NFL they have great production value hyping and presenting the games. Because there are so few games and so much time in between there's alot of time to hype the next game and the next game becomes an event that you will make time to watch because if you don't you have to wait a whole week to see the next one - and missing one means you missed 6% of your team's games. If you're a diehard MLB fan and you miss a game its no biggie because there are 161 others your team plays. And yeah, it definitely appeals because it is such a violent game - people like violence (hello, NHL, are you listening?). But gambling definitely plays a role in its popularity, no doubt about that.

[Bee]

I'll just quote myself from the last time this came up since I still feel the same.

I think in general gambling on the NFL is popular because the NFL is popular. I see it as a result not as a cause of the popularity of the NFL.