Sports scholar John Affleck talks to The Conversation Weekly podcast about the history of prop betting in American sports.
- Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society, Penn State
With wagers available on everything ranging from a pitcher throwing a strike to a wide receiver catching a touchdown, athletes are increasingly tempted to game the system.
As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to take on the Philadelphia Eagles, The Conversation takes a critical look at some of the biggest news stories from the past NFL season.
With few regulations in place, gambling companies are going all-in to attract as many customers as possible – with younger, sports-obsessed and smartphone-savvy Americans particularly vulnerable.
The opportunity to place bets has changed the way games look, the way they’re talked about – and, of course, how many people have money riding on the outcome.
As the Los Angeles Rams prepare to take on the Cincinnati Bengals, The Conversation takes a critical look at some of the biggest news stories from the past NFL season.
The quest to combat discrimination against LGBTQ athletes has been long and fitful, particularly in male team sports.
Because professional athletes are thought to be paragons of physical and mental toughness, their psychological health has long been a taboo topic. That’s starting to change.
About 47 million adults in the US are expected to gamble on March Madness this year. A growing share of the bets will actually be legal.
With bettors clamoring for an edge, legacy media outlets could add a gambling beat to their daily sports coverage – or risk losing out.
What happened after Brandin Cooks took a massive blow during Super Bowl LII helps explain why NFL’s concussion crisis isn’t killing the sport’s popularity.
Since Michael Sam came out in 2014, no one in the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL has done the same. Are the barriers to coming out still holding firm? Or are there signs that the tide could soon turn?
An Access World News database search says everything you need to know: Type in ‘Deflategate’ and you’ll get nearly twice as many hits as ‘Paralympics.’
Racewalking has been part of the Olympic Games since 1904, but gets little respect in the United States. That might change if Americans knew a little more about it.
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is a huge money-maker, but you wouldn’t know it from the coverage on TV.
The evidence that football leads to brain injury is mounting, but there are two big reasons why it’s not likely to change anytime soon.
The US risks being left out of Cuba’s transformation if it doesn’t act quickly.
While season-long fantasy football has been around for years, the rise of daily formats has radically changed how fans watch and root for teams.
The unfolding doping scandal involving Alberto Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project follows the same plot as that of Lance Armstrong and the US Postal Service cycling team.
The FIFA chief’s surprise resignation was the only halfway decent choice he had left. Now it’s up to the reformers to clean house.
Corruption at the pinnacle of sports sets a tone for all the rest. Targeting its roots is the right thing to do no matter what comes of the FBI’s investigation.
A perfect storm of personalities, demand and money has created unprecedented hype. How should the media respond?
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