Few things are as American as laying down a few bucks on a football game. But, oddly enough, sports gambling is illegal in all but four states—Delaware, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon. We already have state lotteries, horse tracks, and casinos. Betting can make sports more popular (when’s the last time you heard of someone going … Read more
The question of whether or not Major League Baseball should expand its instant replay rules to cover more than just homeruns has been an intensely argued debate for quite some time, and understandably so. Surely, the stakes for both sides of this argument are not inconsequential. Many fans of baseball think back in dismay to … Read more
Big news out of Chicago today, and, no, I’m not talking about Obama For America Headquarters. I’m talking about Hallas Hall. The Chicago Tribune reports that Jay Cutler is voting for the only politician that measures up to his considerable standards of social aptitude: Mitt Romney. It is unclear if the notoriously likable Cutler’s endorsement will be able … Read more
Michael Lewis’ 2003 best-selling novel Moneyball has redefined the legacy of Oakland Athletics manager Billy Beane. In movie form, Beane had the dubious honor of being played by Brad Pitt (Peter Brand, who was played by Jonah Hill, wasn’t so lucky) but has seen his team struggle since the rest of the league caught up … Read more
Imagine NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as Governor, NFL Owners as state senators, referees as police officers, and suddenly you have the situation facing some states. The comparisons continue on to an unprecedented degree: Goodell’s family has deep Republican connections, everyone loves the police and referees until they interfere with their lives, Wisconsin seems to care more … Read more
NFL fans across the country rejoice today as referees from the NFLRU officiate the first slate of games since reaching a deal with the league to end the lockout that thrust replacement refs into the spotlight. This Wednesday, Jim Lehrer will moderate the first presidential debate of the general election. Lehrer is experienced and respected, … Read more
Robert Kindman contributed statistical analysis to this article. Now that Stephen Strasburg is officially sitting out the rest of the season, the only use we have for him is to speculate about what impact his shutdown will have for the future of the Nationals. Baseball being first and foremost a business, it is worth investigating … Read more
A friend recently confessed that many of his most intense emotional experiences have occurred while watching football — the European kind, to be clear. I am not a sports fanatic by any standard, and I doubt sporting events could ever provoke within me a comparable degree of passion. Yet I know my friend’s sport-induced hyper-emotions … Read more
Another season of Major League Baseball is in full swing, and the voting for the 83rd annual All-Star Game is open both online and in all 30 ballparks across North America. Fans can vote online a maximum of 25 times per e-mail address until June 28 for starting position players, a system one MLB.com columnist deems “an exercise … Read more
As a Chicago Bulls fan whose formative years coincided with the Jordan years, I love Steve Kerr. Playing basketball growing up, I was a short white kid who could shoot, so I naturally looked up to Kerr. He is up there with Reggie Miller and Ray Allen as one of the best pure shooters in … Read more