LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – If you play the games, you don’t bet on them. For decades, that’s been the rule. Simple. Clear. Sensible.
But now, the NCAA is considering a rule change that would allow college athletes — and athletic department staff — to bet on professional sports.
Not on college games. Be clear on that. But this still feels like a bad idea waiting to happen.
The argument in favor of this change is that sports betting is now legal in most of the country, and the existing blanket ban is outdated. The NCAA’s Division I Council has voted to propose deregulating pro sports betting for athletes. It's still in the proposal stage, but all signs point toward eventual approval.
I get it. Betting is everywhere. The NCAA is even in business with a sports data company that works with sportsbooks. And yes, athletes already bet, even though they’re not supposed to. But it’s important to remember -- most still don’t.
According to NCAA data, 21.5 percent of male student-athletes have placed a sports bet in the past year. That’s one in five. Significant — but it’s also about half the rate of their peers in the general college population. Among all male students, sports betting is rampant — some studies show more than 40 to 50 percent participate.
So, what’s keeping athletes from betting? The rules. The threat of losing eligibility. The basic idea that if you play the game, you don’t get to gamble on the people who do.
That guardrail has worked better than most give it credit for. Weakening it — even just a little — feels like inviting unnecessary risk.
Let’s be honest. College athletes live in a different world than the average student. They know players in the pros. They may have former teammates in the NFL, NBA, MLB. Giving them the green light to bet on pro sports opens a messy door: tip-offs, insider info, blurred lines.
Case in point: Alabama baseball. Former head coach Brad Bohannon was fired after sending inside information to a bettor who tried to place a six-figure wager against his own team. That wasn’t about college betting. It was just betting. And it showed how easily integrity can unravel.
Yes, we live in a time when betting is legal, accessible, and aggressively marketed — especially to young men. But that’s exactly why athletes need protection, not permission. Studies show that college-age men are among the most vulnerable to gambling addiction. They chase losses. They bet impulsively. They’re wired for risk.
The NCAA knowns this. Even as it pushes to allow betting on pro sports, its president, Charlie Baker, is publicly urging lawmakers to ban prop bets on college games because of their risk. We all seem to know there's danger here. And we know athletes are uniquely exposed.
Here’s my main question: What good comes of this? Will it help athletes? Safeguard the game? Improve wellness? Or is this just about aligning with the betting business?
We already ask a lot of college athletes. We don’t need to hand them a betting slip, too.
Just because gambling is legal doesn’t mean it belongs in every locker room. Especially not with the people who play the games.
Quick sips
• I caught up with longtime Louisville athletics director Tom Jurich as he and his wife, Terrilynn, drove to Louisville for the ceremony to name a campus street in his honor on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. on Floyd Street. Jurich went through a lot of fond memories of his Louisville days. Read some of those here.
• An update on yesterday's "Coffee with Crawford." Louisiana's racing commission approved Churchill Downs-owned Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans for its regular racing dates on Tuesday. Racing at the facility had been in doubt when Churchill said it would not renew its racing and gaming license in reaction to adverse actions by the state legislature and Supreme Court. After negotiations with racing officials, Churchill will hold a racing meet -- though number of dates. purse structure and races per day were not determined. The devil, as they say, is in the details. Read about it here.
• WDRB's Rick Bozich sat down with new Indiana basketball coach Darian DeVries last week. On Tuesday, he posted some thoughts from his conversation. You can read them here.
• Last week, I wrote a column on Vince Marrow and his move from Kentucky to Louisville. On Tuesday, I went a bit deeper into his plans for the Cardinals football program in his new role. Read about them here.
The Last Drop
“You’ve got to be a fundraiser times ten. And not just you — your staff, your coaches, everyone. You can’t just pass the hat. People need to see purpose and a vision. And if they do, they’ll jump in with you."
Tom Jurich, on the challenges facing athletic departments in a professionalized college sports landscape
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