Blackmail, Not Just Bribery Can Lead to Pointshaving
By Mike Godsey
Joe Duffy (
The burgeoning betting scandal of former
running back
McDougle Jr. has again brought to the forefront
the evergreen discussion and debate of the
frequency of game fixing and point shaving.
The answers as to the questions how common it is and by
who will probably be forever elusive.
Professor Justin Wolfers, of the respected
point shaving is quite prevalent in college basketball.
and while we disagree with his conclusions, clearly a man of his credentials
cannot easily be discounted.
But in this article we want to bring to light the
fallacies in a common presumption. Most seem to assume pointspread chicanery is
limited to giving money to an athlete, coach or official in return for altering
the betting result of a game.
Some naively believe at the professional sports level this
is unlikely to happen, especially with those who affect the outcome of the game
the most, the athletes.
The prevailing thought is a high-priced athlete has too
much to lose and the amount of payola required would be cost prohibitive to the
potential game fixer. That in theory should be true, but one would probably be
giving athletes more credit for good judgment than they deserve.
But mere dollars and cents are far from the only type of
inducement one could employ for skullduggery.
Talk about burgeoning scandals; is there anyone among us
who doesn’t believe the steroid uproar has barely scratched the surface? What
if just one influential supplier of performance enhancing drugs were a
high-stakes bettor?
He’s got coveted contraband.
athletes. You do the math.
Did somebody say scandal? It seems every decade or so we
find out about a Madam to the multi-millionaires. Apparently the rich and
powerful are willing to bequeath significant funds to acquire the services of a
sweet painted lady. What might an amorous athlete being willing to do for the
executive concubine service? A friend once told me “dames are trouble”. Are you
getting the picture?
Do you think there may be some drug use among professional
athletes? What would an athlete who wants only the best and hottest designer
drugs do? A little information to crush the
drug peddlers walk a straight and narrow line.
What kind of favors could the drug trafficker get from a desperate
burnout who needs his fix? Did I just say “fix”?
But that’s not even adding blackmail to all of the above.
What if a money player had overwhelming incriminating information concerning a
player being involved in any of the aforementioned vices? Hush money is not
cheap and it may just come in the form of a favor or two rather than in a
briefcase of dollar bills.
Yet another bombshell in the news recently was the coming
out book of former NBA player John Amaechi.
When the ex-journeymen admitted he was gay, it brought a lot of
discussion as to the likelihood of a current athlete coming out of the closest.
Current and former players, coaches and coach potatoes alike agreed an active
player would risk serious ostrasization and many other ramifications to come
out.
What if a gambling extortionist wanted, instead of financial
shake down, some in-game kickbacks?
How about the same with a married player with an active
black book—a player who wouldn’t want his marriage turned into a public and
bitter multi-million dollar divorce settlement?
No, it’s not my “hypothetical confession” of how I would
have bribed an athlete “if I did it”. But having been in the business since the
1980s, one does hear things. Most,
perhaps all is mere gossip and hearsay.
However, one thing I can say for certainty to those who believe professional
athletes would unlikely be on the take because the risk/return factor is too
great. Don’t bet on it.
Joe Duffy, CEO of
has been an expert guest on Sporting News Radio, the Gambler’s Zoo and several other
network and internet radio shows. Media
inquiries to media@joeduffy.net