NFL embraces betting. What message is it sending student-athletes?
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Dwight A. Weingarten Staff writer
| Washington
The senior quarterback loves the game, his hometown Washington Football Team, and Lamar Jackson 鈥� the scrambling sensation he emulates聽鈥� who plays for the NFL franchise down the road in Baltimore.听
Novaun Lee, who鈥檚 ranked near the top of his class academically at H.D. Woodson High School in the District, has played the game since he was five, according to his mother. This year, though, there is something new when he and his teammates turn on the TV to watch the pro game: advertisements for the sports betting companies now in partnership with the National Football League.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 all very new,鈥� says Keith Whyte, executive director for the National Council on Problem Gambling. 鈥淭his massive expansion of sports betting, it鈥檚 shifted, and it鈥檚 become popularized and normalized in our culture.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
Legal sports betting has become accepted by many in the U.S. But the public also has ethical concerns 鈥� especially about effects on young people.
With entertainers like Jamie Foxx and former NFL stars like the recently retired Drew Brees appearing on commercials for the聽, a betting app has gotten in the teenage quarterback鈥檚 line of sight. He downloaded the free FOX Bet Super 6 app, sponsored by Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, last month.听
And while the legal betting age in D.C. is 18, Howard Gilmore, a coach at H.D. Woodson, questions whether the league is sending the right message to high school football players with the sportsbook and gambling partnerships.听
鈥淚t鈥檚 not sending a good signal to them because now they think this is OK to sports bet,鈥� says Mr. Gilmore, who coaches wide receivers at his high school alma mater.听He鈥檚 with a large majority of Americans in not labeling all gambling as immoral or irresponsible, but still seeing a need for guardrails. 鈥淵ou do have underaged kids that you鈥檙e targeting that look at [these ads] that have a desire to play in the NFL.鈥�
His focus is on preparing the student-athletes that he coaches for 鈥渓ife,鈥� encouraging his players to stay levelheaded. H.D. Woodson associate head coach Rodney Williams also聽desires to help the student-athletes 鈥済et ready for life,鈥� encouraging them to read, and preaching the message of remaining steadfast and focused on the football field.
鈥淲hen I say, 鈥楽omething good happens,鈥� they say, 鈥榢eep playing,鈥� when I say, 鈥楽omething bad happens鈥� they say, 鈥榢eep playing,鈥欌�� the sixth-year coach says in an interview before repeating this message to the team at the end of pregame practice.
While his message of 鈥渒eep playing,鈥� taken out of context, could be an advertisement for gambling, Mr. Williams voices ambivalence when asked whether the league should be sponsoring sports betting.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know,鈥� Mr. Williams says. 鈥淭hey aren鈥檛 going to let their money stop, though.鈥�
The NFL is projected to make in revenue from sports betting and gambling deals in 2021 alone.
Amber Satterfield, whose son, Omar, plays wide receiver at H.D. Woodson and hopes for an NFL career, also sees money at play in the league鈥檚 new stance. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing it for money,鈥� she says, 鈥渆verything is about money now.鈥�
In the process, she says, the game of football is diminished.
Problem gambling
When a person鈥檚 betting activity tips toward 鈥減roblem鈥� status, it can have severe consequences for their financial and emotional well-being. Although only 14% of Americans find gambling immoral, 63% say operators of legalized gambling venues should have to implement responsible gambling measures, according to reported by the National Council on Problem Gambling.
And the group cites finding that 16% of online sports gamblers met clinical criteria for gambling disorder.
But NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who once wrote that the expansion of sports betting 鈥渢hreatens to damage irreparably the integrity of, and public confidence in, NFL football,鈥� has had a different legal landscape to consider since 2018.听
That year, the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, that prohibited sports betting except in Nevada and a few other select locations. Pro leagues have been determining their relationships with gaming ever since, Mr. Whyte says.听
Pro basketball was the first major league to make a deal with sports betting when the NBA announced a partnership with MGM . The National Hockey League announced a deal for DraftKings to be their official sports betting partner just , and Major League Baseball added DraftKings to BetMGM as their co-exclusive sports betting partners .听
The NFL has approved a total of this year.
Seeking a balance
But last month, the NFL announced a of a different kind, this time with the National Council on Problem Gambling, for a $6.2 million grant over three years to address problem gambling.
The NFL wants to make sure they have a 鈥渂alanced approach鈥� that is long-term and sustainable, says Mr. Whyte, whose organization plans to use the funds to upgrade their National Problem Gambling Helpline and for public service announcements.
He says his organization 鈥� which has never taken a position for or against legalized gambling 鈥� also has been advising the NFL on branding a 鈥渞esponsible gambling鈥� message.听
The NFL has limited the sports betting ads to , one per quarter with an additional ad pregame and at halftime. The American Gaming Association (AGA), which represents the U.S. casino industry, sets self-imposed restrictions on advertisements geared toward youth through its .听
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to note,鈥� says AGA senior vice president Casey Clark in an email, 鈥渓egal sports betting offers regulatory oversight and protections for competition integrity, athletes, bets, and consumers that do not exist in the illegal market.鈥�
Distinguishing the game from gaming
With bets now being placed 鈥渁bove the table,鈥� in a legal manner, the question of distinguishing聽the game from the gaming is surfacing now too, especially as it relates to young people.听
Mr. Whyte says the NFL saw some support 鈥済aps,鈥� including the need to do , as a reason for the partnership with the National Council on Problem Gambling.
鈥淲e want to keep the game, the game,鈥� Mr. Whyte says. He adds that the first time most student-athletes get a prevention message is when they get to college, while of NCAA male student-athletes who gambled for money had their first experience with gambling before college. About report gambling behavior that rises to the level of harm, he says, expressed in lack of control.听
For the young quarterback, still not old enough to place a bet, he appears to be taking some steps toward keeping聽the game and gaming separate. Novaun says, in an interview, he learned about probability in his Advanced Placement statistics class that day.
鈥淎ll it takes is money and probability to bet,鈥� he says. 鈥淣othing requires the same amount of focus as the game.鈥�
