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Water Cooler Talk: Gambling over Youth Football

Betting on Youth Football- have people no shame? (Photo credit: jvh33)

Sometimes the stupidity and greed of grownups really muck up sports. A great example is the escapade in Texas for Southern Methodist University in the 1980s that was featured in the very well done 30 for 30 ESPN film The Pony Excess. That is one of the more glaring examples of amateur athletes being used and exploited. But even that doesn’t compare to this because at least the athletes involved were older. Now the stupidity has spread to youth football.

This week the Sheriff’s Office in Broward County, Fl arrested nine men and charged them with felony bookmaking for betting on games within one youth league. The bets got as high as $100,000 on a single game.

Thankfully it appears that the players were unaware- but kids are smart and perceptive and some knew- they had to know. This league has 22 teams with over 6,000 players and according to CBS News many of the players come from “impoverished neighborhoods.” The age range for these players is 5-15 years old.

The Sheriff’s Office found out about the ring through ESPN- after producers sent them footage in 2011 showing money being exchanged between spectators at youth games during critical plays. ESPN was doing some reporting about the growing trend of gambling in youth sports.

The ringleader for this group, Brandon Bivins is known as Coach B and was the president of the Ft Lauderdale Hurricanes team while also running the two local business fronts for the gambling ring.

According to investigators, coaches- yes I said coaches- met before games and set point spreads. At this time it is not known if players were asked to throw games or underperform- but in my opinion when bets run $20,000 for an average game, you can’t tell me that a coach didn’t set things in favor for a certain better.

Things get even more interesting when it was discovered that six of the nine men arrested have previous records of being convicts- yep role models indeed. Now, I will say that I know there are men and women who have done time and turn their lives around- these cowards making money off the backs of children are not such men.

This entire story is disgusting and one of the reasons sports in America has serious problems. As a mom I believe it is important for my children to participate in organized sports. Their involvement with youth baseball and soccer will help teach team work, good sportsmanship, and develop hand/eye coordination. Learning about how to bet on the point spread is not one of those things. And had one of my babies been involved boy would these cowards have an angry mama bear on their hands.

I am curious how the Gal Pal nation feels about this story? Are you as disgusted as I am about it- or do you just shrug your head?