This week, it was reported that the NBA is leaning heavily on its relationship with online sports betting: fans (in states where it’s legal) will be able to watch NBA League Pass games with a betting overlay and be linked to in-app betting through DraftKings. or FanDuel.
Many coaches, players and others in the league would like the NBA to put a stop to this relationship with gaming entities, take a step back and examine the consequences. They think sports betting has crossed the line. Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff is one of them and told this story about something that happened last season: via Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
“I’ve had my own cases with some sports players,” Bickerstaff said Wednesday evening. “They got my phone number and sent me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and stuff. It’s a dangerous game and that’s how we work for sure…
“There’s no question we went overboard,” Bickerstaff said. “I’m standing up there and we’re maybe 10 points ahead and the gap is 11 and people are yelling at me to leave the guys inside so we can cover the gap. It’s ridiculous. I understand the business aspect and the nature of the business. But I think this is something that goes too far.
This came a day after Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton said his social media mentions were filled with players who viewed him as a “prop.”
I also asked #Pacers Star Tyrese Haliburton specifically talked about speaking to a sports psychologist, and he noted in his response how sports betting has consumed much of his social media.
“For half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever. I am an accessory. pic.twitter.com/6f2a0vEuiK
–James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) March 20, 2024
Haliburton’s comments sparked a conversation within the league, which included the Heat’s Erik Spoelstra (who was in Cleveland to face the Cavaliers).
“I think it’s somewhat contradictory,” Spoelstra said before the news Wednesday evening. “I think it walks a strange line. We had an incident behind our bench last year with (Victor) Oladipo. Someone was shouting. Security had to take him away. The game was already over and, obviously, he did not make an open 3 at the end of the game. The game was already decided, and this fan was totally beside himself, and he was a player. He had money regardless of the score. This has a lot of unintended consequences from a security perspective, which I’m not sure everyone has fully understood.
The NBA is far from the only league interested in its relationship with legal sports betting – the NFL has an in-app betting screen overlay similar to the one the NBA is about to add . The NBA is a business, it is always looking for new sources of revenue, and a connection with legal sports betting companies can achieve this. There are four NBA arenas with legal sports betting inside the venue, including the Cavaliers’ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, reports USA Today.
That said, the NBA and other professional leagues are going to have to weigh that money against the impact on players, coaches and the sport as a whole. There are fundamental questions to consider that go beyond just sports betting, that go beyond simply finding a balance between the parties, and that take into account the impact of ease of play on the Company. There are no easy answers here, but there will be many more questions.
