In considering fantasy sports sites and the controversy now surrounding two of them, I have two reactions.
First, I'm glad that people are paying attention to this issue. Let's keep the heat on as their pitfalls become more and more evident. The problems are starting to become all too real. Here's a statement from The Council on Compulsive Gambling of NJ. Also check out this article.
Call this "breaking news" - well, while doing some unrelated searched, I came across a headline and WOW! Had to finish and publish this post. There is an investigation. Will be watching this one, for sure! There seem to be so many breaking developments! Nevada is shutting down the sites from doing business in their state. And a fan is suing!
Second, it has occurred to me that there is a larger issue we should be discussing. Our society seems to be preoccupied with gambling (irrespective of whether we call fantasy sports sites 'gambling sites' or not). Think about it.
All but 6 of our 50 states have lotteries.There are also multi-state lotteries. But the revenues they produce often don't match promises, and can be funneled away from their intended targets. They also hurt low-income folks. This article has a good overview.
There also seems to be a proliferation of casinos. This story speaks of casino proliferation and the challenge of funding treatment for problem gamblers.
We must hope that this controversy helps to raise awareness of the pitfalls surrounding fantasy sports sites and the larger issue of gambling in our society (and in other parts of the world, too). The cost can be all too human. I remember that on the one cruise (and are there any cruise ships without an onboard casino?) I went on, my cousin and I met a woman whose husband was a problem gambler. She said it had really taken a toll on their lives. Let's hope we can find resources to lead folks in more positive directions.
Related Post (Just in case you missed the original or updates...)
This blog discusses issues of social justice (in an inclusive sense), civil liberties, human rights, other social issues, and offers thoughts on society and humanity in general from a progressive, feminist perspective.
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Fantasy Sports - Just Hand Over Your Money - UPDATED!
Hello, Readers ---- good to see page views but some comments would be AWESOME! Would just love to hear from some of you: your thoughts, insights, rants (civil, of course), whatever. What's going on with you?
Here in the good ol' U. S. A., it's football season again. Sorry to say my Seahawks are 0 - 2 (ummm - what's going on, guys?), but that's not what has me ranting right now.
You've probably seen ads for them on tv - fantasy football sites that promise pretty good payoffs. What??? It seems there's always someone waiting to take someone else's money. And to be honest, I can't think of what else these sites have been created for.
Supposedly these sites are for fun and excitement, but do folks think about the REALITY of them? They may promise payoffs, but I'm quite sure they're not in business to lose money, so how are they going to pay off winners if a lot of "users" don't lose? Do folks who sign up and the networks and shows that accept their sponsorships think about that? I also include online gaming sites as needing our disdain (more in a moment...).
Found this recent article at NPR News about just these sorts of sites. Two things the article brings out that are really concerning about this: 1) some of the investors are mentioned in the article --- including some sports leagues, teams and some networks, etc.; does this really show respect for fans? and 2) consider this: "And while players on FanDuel, DraftKings and other sites put up money for a chance to win a lot more, it's not considered betting — thanks to an exemption in a 2006 law regulating online gambling." As some commenters noted - how, exactly is this different from gambling? I think the potential for real harm to individuals is quite clear (as did some other commenters).It's too easy to get hooked, thinking - oh, I'll win NEXT week. It would be easy for losses to keep piling up, though, waiting for that win. I would counsel someone to never go near these sites even with that proverbial ten-foot pole.
To be sure, the lure of "easy money" can be enticing. But if we either learn from experience or take a step back, we'll see that things that are too good to be true - most often definitely aren't. I hope that folks will STOP using such sites. SHAME on the networks and shows who accept their advertising. And DOUBLE SHAME on the creators of them and the investors.
UPDATES:
Would you believe a manager on one of these sites released data on fantasy teams, then bet and won big on another site? The story is here.
Would you belieeve the SEC Network will no longer accept commercials from FanDuel and Draft Kings? Good for them. Now, can we get other networks to follow?
Would you believe that fans really need to "Get Smart"? Maybe we should assign Agents 86 and 99 to the case. :-)
ANOTHER UPDATE:
A Congressman from NJ is calling for hearings on fantasy sites!
Here in the good ol' U. S. A., it's football season again. Sorry to say my Seahawks are 0 - 2 (ummm - what's going on, guys?), but that's not what has me ranting right now.
You've probably seen ads for them on tv - fantasy football sites that promise pretty good payoffs. What??? It seems there's always someone waiting to take someone else's money. And to be honest, I can't think of what else these sites have been created for.
Supposedly these sites are for fun and excitement, but do folks think about the REALITY of them? They may promise payoffs, but I'm quite sure they're not in business to lose money, so how are they going to pay off winners if a lot of "users" don't lose? Do folks who sign up and the networks and shows that accept their sponsorships think about that? I also include online gaming sites as needing our disdain (more in a moment...).
Found this recent article at NPR News about just these sorts of sites. Two things the article brings out that are really concerning about this: 1) some of the investors are mentioned in the article --- including some sports leagues, teams and some networks, etc.; does this really show respect for fans? and 2) consider this: "And while players on FanDuel, DraftKings and other sites put up money for a chance to win a lot more, it's not considered betting — thanks to an exemption in a 2006 law regulating online gambling." As some commenters noted - how, exactly is this different from gambling? I think the potential for real harm to individuals is quite clear (as did some other commenters).It's too easy to get hooked, thinking - oh, I'll win NEXT week. It would be easy for losses to keep piling up, though, waiting for that win. I would counsel someone to never go near these sites even with that proverbial ten-foot pole.
To be sure, the lure of "easy money" can be enticing. But if we either learn from experience or take a step back, we'll see that things that are too good to be true - most often definitely aren't. I hope that folks will STOP using such sites. SHAME on the networks and shows who accept their advertising. And DOUBLE SHAME on the creators of them and the investors.
UPDATES:
Would you believe a manager on one of these sites released data on fantasy teams, then bet and won big on another site? The story is here.
Would you belieeve the SEC Network will no longer accept commercials from FanDuel and Draft Kings? Good for them. Now, can we get other networks to follow?
Would you believe that fans really need to "Get Smart"? Maybe we should assign Agents 86 and 99 to the case. :-)
ANOTHER UPDATE:
A Congressman from NJ is calling for hearings on fantasy sites!
Friday, October 25, 2013
League of Concussion?
Well, I confess I enjoy watching football on Sundays - and the occasional Monday night. Kind of strange, I guess, because I certainly tend to be the nonviolent type. Still, I can't help rooting for certain teams.
Well, I watched the recent PBS Frontline - "League of Denial" based on a book by two brothers. It was really gripping, holding my interest for a full two hours. If you go to the PBS site for it, there are lots of things: a book excerpt, timeline, chat transcript, and more.
This was brought back to mind especially today, when former QB Brett Favre spoke of experiencing memory loss - perhaps related to concussions. Here's an online article on this.
My feelings are very conflicted. I still want to be a fan, but the way the NFL has dealt with this makes me wonder about commitment to player safety. Further, the results some researchers have found (re: CTE) have been pretty startling, so of course you have to begin to wonder about the safety of the game, period. Naturally, there are some risks that athletes take. We do hope that every reasonable precaution is taken to protect players and that players, managers, coaches, and officials manage the risks in a sensible manner.
Finally, one emotion that wants to come out is a great sadness. I hate to think of the players I have watched over the years, players I'm watching today someday having the debilitating CTE symptoms some researchers found and are detailed in "League of Denial." They are/have been "heroes" and "villains" to many of us; I'm sure we wish them all an enjoyable retirement after their playing days are over. The physical toll is bad enough in some cases; let's hope we can help them not suffer from CTE and related dementias.
Well, I watched the recent PBS Frontline - "League of Denial" based on a book by two brothers. It was really gripping, holding my interest for a full two hours. If you go to the PBS site for it, there are lots of things: a book excerpt, timeline, chat transcript, and more.
This was brought back to mind especially today, when former QB Brett Favre spoke of experiencing memory loss - perhaps related to concussions. Here's an online article on this.
My feelings are very conflicted. I still want to be a fan, but the way the NFL has dealt with this makes me wonder about commitment to player safety. Further, the results some researchers have found (re: CTE) have been pretty startling, so of course you have to begin to wonder about the safety of the game, period. Naturally, there are some risks that athletes take. We do hope that every reasonable precaution is taken to protect players and that players, managers, coaches, and officials manage the risks in a sensible manner.
Finally, one emotion that wants to come out is a great sadness. I hate to think of the players I have watched over the years, players I'm watching today someday having the debilitating CTE symptoms some researchers found and are detailed in "League of Denial." They are/have been "heroes" and "villains" to many of us; I'm sure we wish them all an enjoyable retirement after their playing days are over. The physical toll is bad enough in some cases; let's hope we can help them not suffer from CTE and related dementias.
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