NFL Claims to Think Sports Gambling Could Tarnish Image
Representatives of the National Football League rushed to Delaware this week to inform Governor Jack Markell of their opposition to his plan to revive state sports gambling. Despite not having a team or any economic interest in Delaware, the NFL expects the state to reject sports gambling because the league says it may tarnish a supposedly shiny NFL image.
Sports observers were both amused and outraged by NFL lobbying in Delaware. The league has been known for seeking legislation far beyond its purview, as it attempts to block regulation of online casinos and interfere in states such as Delaware which have no relationship with it.
"Leonard Little keeps playing, after he killed a person driving drunk, got probation, and then was arrested again for drunk driving. The league has more to worry about than imagined sports gambling conflicts," said OCA sports analyst Edmund Crumley.
"Sports betting already creates all the passion that drives NFL popularity. Saying that making it legal and regulated will cause more temptation and coercion than having organized crime run the gambling is crazy," says ex-bookmaker Tommy O'Reilly.
The NFL has a number of skeletons it keeps buried in the closet, from the Rooney family's ties to gambling to Carroll Rosenbloom's unlikely death. Gambling episodes have occurred, from Art Schlichter to Alex Karras to Paul Hornung, even though legal sports gambling didn't exist. The list of violent criminals features O.J. Simpson and Rae Carruth among a cast of hundreds.
The league also asserts it is worried that legal sports wagering might encourage youngsters to gamble. It ignores the age limit of 21 built into the Delaware bill, a limit not honored by illegal bookies.
But somehow, the league feels that having sports gambling controlled by the state, earning much-needed revenue, will ruin the integrity of football. One league insider said, "If the NFL cared as much about their players as they do their artificial, Disneyfied image, most of the problems would be averted."
