I don’t like to gamble.
I am not a killjoy on this issue. If you like to wager, go for it. I would not make it illegal. Though I worry about a society where it feels like everyone I know under 30 (and many over it) has a betting app on their phone. I worry that the gambling sites have done a good job of convincing a generation (or two) that the best way to enjoy a game is with a little action on it — but, you know, bet responsibly. I worry about the implications for players, managers, coaches, umpires, referees, etc. being this aware of lines, over/unders and prop bets.
I worry that the fans also know all of these items and that has coarsened even further their relationship with those involved in the game. I worry that conspiracy theories are running amok in our society and believing the fix is in on everything is growing into the true American pastime.
I bring this up because last August I told a few of my friends that gamble that if I were a betting man, I would put quite a bit on the Jets’ under, which was no less than 9.5 wherever I saw it published or discussed. It is not like I could have named two Jets offensive linemen. This was about Aaron Rodgers being polarizing, 40 and coming off an Achilles tear, but even more about history — Jets history.
