Jacob Zanolla
Staff Writer
As of Nov. 22, individuals in DI, DII, and DIII will all be able to place bets on professional sports. While they can’t place bets on other college athletics, the NCAA is trying to give its student-athletes similar privileges as students who don’t play sports.
There’s a fine line between allowing the athletes to grow into their own and make their own decisions, but coaches will also need to make sure no rules are broken to ensure their team can still compete without any issues. Although NCAA officials may have seen this as something that makes life better for their athletes, it could also make it more difficult.
“If it comes up when the NCAA rules on it, we may talk about it. But again, it’s one of those things where I think I know my players,” Rhett Rollyson, FSC Men’s Tennis coach said.
“I mean, you never know them 100%, but I know my guys and you take investment in their lives and you kind of know what they’re doing. I think that we need to address it vaguely and say, ‘Hey guys, this is becoming an issue in college sports. We’ve got to be better than this.’ You know, just stay above the fray.”
Professional sports have always been a large spectacle, but that’s becoming more and more true with the rise of technology. Gambling has taken over the modern sports industry, with advertisements for sportsbooks everywhere you look when taking in a sporting event. Whether you’re at the game itself or just watching on television, live odds and ways to wager money will be present to pique your interest.
Sports gambling can be a slippery slope, with examples of this becoming present in what seems like monthly scandals across professional sports. Shohei Ohtani, perhaps the greatest baseball player of all time, was involved in drama when his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was caught stealing his client’s money to gamble. Former star closer Emmanuel Clase and his Cleveland Guardians teammate, Luis Ortiz, are both on leave from baseball after reports have accused them of betting on their own performance.
“I strongly believe that it needs to be hands-off,” Rollyson said. “You’re going down a slippery slope when you do that. It’s very difficult for me to really justify why any college athlete needs to be gambling on any sport.”
