The Hidden Toll of Sports Wagering on College Athletes’ Mental Health
The conversation around mental health in college athletics has recently gained momentum, with factors such as packed schedules, and pressure from coaches and parents often cited as key contributors. However, one less-talked-about but significant factor is the impact of sports wagering on athletes' mental well-being.
Currently, 38 states in the U.S. permit some form of sports betting, with a significant portion of that betting focused on college sports and individual athletes. During last year’s March Madness tournament, a staggering $2.72 billion was wagered through American sportsbooks—twice the amount bet on the previous Super Bowl. For college athletes, this is a mental health crisis. These athletes already juggle the demands of being full-time students and athletes, with rigorous schedules of practices, games, weightlifting sessions, and exams. On top of that, they now face harassment on social media from strangers who have lost money based on their performance.
Related Posts
领英推荐
Prop bets , where people can place wagers on specific aspects of an athlete’s performance, pose particular risks. For example, bettors can wager on whether a player scores a goal or how many passing yards a quarterback accumulates. This kind of betting singles out individual athletes, making them prime targets for abuse and harassment if their performance doesn’t meet expectations.?
Armondo Bacot , a player for North Carolina’s men’s basketball team, shared his experience with prop bet-related harassment: “Even at the last game, I guess I didn’t get enough rebounds or something. I thought I played pretty good last game, but I looked at my DMs, and I got like over 100 messages from people telling me I sucked because I didn’t get enough rebounds.”?
During the 2023-24 basketball season alone, over 540 abusive sports betting-related messages were directed at men’s and women’s basketball players, including death threats.
Read more about the mental toll of sports betting HERE .
Mission-Driven Leader | Team Builder
2 周Thank you, 2aDays, for highlighting one of the most detrimental aspects of sports betting: fans who bet and lose inflicting mental and emotional damage, even death threats, on the players we love. Sports betting is not just another growth channel for sports, it is a parasite.