The Betting Side of the NFL

The National Football League, home to touchdowns and big hits, fuels many industries, including, for better or worse, the gambling industry. Bets from across the globe are placed every Sunday on every games, helped by crazed fans looking for return on their favorite game. This gambling industry is key for the NFL, as Sports Management professor Rodney Paul detailed in a New York Times article.

“Betting and fantasy sports are extremely important to the popularity of the N.F.L.,” he said, suggesting that a rise in NFL viewership can be traced back to gambling, rather than the other way around. While this may be true, there are other reasons, such as much more in depth statistics, that can be attributed to rising viewers.

“When I was a kid, following the statistics of your favorite team was a geeky thing,” said Rick Burton, another Sports Management professor. “Today, an exponentially larger number of people — kids, teenagers, men, women, people in nursing homes — are suddenly tracking all of these stats.”