Comments on: OTL reports on U.S. links to match-fixing allegations

By: mvktr2

mvktr2 — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 22:22:56 +0000

For anyone doubting the scope of gambling influence upon sports in this nation you can review the gambling section of ESPN’s sports encyclopedia which is available online. The whole thing isn’t available, just portions and it happens to contain most of the gambling part. IIRC the FBI estimates the fix is in on a full 3% of all ncaa mens basketball games with point spreads of 13 pts or higher and that roughly 1% of all games across all platforms are effected in some way. That’s just in the US. For my money only a wise-guy or a fool bets on sports unless it’s friendly wagers among friends.

As a side note I’ve stated before that MLS needs to get into Las Vegas because MLS needs to become more gambling friendly. Widespread gambling corruption could bury the league in the US sport-fans eyes, however the games most watched with the most interest in the US are those gambled upon the heaviest. Increase gambling interest in MLS, increase viewership, increase income, increase payroll, increase quality of play on the field and the cycle continues to build. It’s an easy enough formula, but a dangerous one for MLS 2.0.

By: joeyt360

joeyt360 — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 16:10:04 +0000

I dunno. . . there’s nothing here I haven’t seen in games that I wouldn’t think were fixed. Several of those previous chances, the El Salvador player lays out completely to try to cut off a cross, or gives the shoulder charge, etc, things I wouldn’t think they would have to do if they were in on a fix. On the goal sequence, sure, that’s a soft turnover, but it’s also from the blind side, it’s not as if he dribbled right into a guy and got stripped.

Honestly, if it’s a fix, then either most of the Salvadoran players other than Gonzalez weren’t in on it, or it’s a masterpiece of a fix, and I wouldn’t think they’d be this much better at fixing soccer than they were at playing soccer.

By: drewvt6

drewvt6 — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 06:40:40 +0000

I think bp’s reaction is so harsh because he hadn’t assumed all along many of these matches are fixed. It’s what the south and central Americans have assumed for decades. It’s what th Italians and citizens of the Iberian peninsula have guessed for years. To me some of the reaction in the US media is more about soccer being main streamed. It’s about that 11 or 12 year old kid figuring out dad may not be all that. Protecting our own league and games will make the US a more desirable place to play in the long run. We see it now to some extent in mls with Argentineans escaping the over bearing, mafia controlled sports culture. Meanwhile, more and more Americans won’t respond so harshly when a player dives to ensure even a bought ref can’t miss the call.