Standing Up for Student-Athletes: An Unyielding Concern
NCAA Presidents Warn of Potential Player Exploitation Anticipating $3.1bn in March Madness Revenue
NCAA President, Charlie Baker, used a national spotlight before March Madness to vocalize his concerns for the escalating abuse directed towards players during the tournament. With projections of a whopping $3.1 billion in bets, Baker fears the potentially detrimental impact this phenomenon might have on the players involved.
On the CBS Evening News just before the opening game, Baker zeroed in on the "vicious and brutal" treatment student-athletes often face. "It's really a problem," Baker shared with news anchor Maurice DuBois.
The Digital Abyss: Online Harassment Runs Rampant
Baker's discussion with DuBois shed light on the underside of prop bets, where desperate bettors lash out at individual athletes due to unsatisfying performances. The former Governor of Massachusetts urged DuBois to take notice of the vitriolic comments marching across the digital airwaves during March Madness.
Baker painted a chilling picture, emphasizing how bettors scream and shout at these young athletes, demanding them to "do better! I'm losing money on you!" He stressed that online abuse was, by far, the most severe and intense of the various forms of abuse.
Amplifying the Alarm: Regulatory Action is Accountability
Baker views a resolution to the abuse stemming from pro bets, particularly during March Madness, in the alignment of state gaming regulators with the issue. The NCAA leader stated that his organization is actively "nudging" state gaming bodies towards addressing the dangers posed by prop bets.
"It's a bad situation," Baker asserted. "We now have about half of them where you can't prop bet on college sports, and we've got to work the other half. It's a bad situation."
Bracing for Change: Taming the Beast of Prop Bets
Hoping to make a tangible difference, BetterHelp has launched a campaign called "Stop the Madness" during March Madness. This initiative aims to curb online harassment by offering a month of free therapy to student athletes, shedding light on the mental health struggles they endure due to increased digital abuse[1]. The campaign involves collaborations with college basketball stars to promote mental health awareness and encourage athletes to seek help[1].
The NCAA's attempts to regulate sports betting have resulted in a surge in online harassment, with women athletes receiving three times more abuse than their male counterparts[3]. Although the NCAA's partnerships for managing sports betting data focus on strengthening integrity and promoting responsible betting practices, it has yet to address specialized measures for eliminating online abuse[5].
As the battle against online abuse intensifies, state gaming regulators hold the key to change[2]. The NCAA advocates for a nationwide ban on prop betting on individual college players, underscoring the importance of preserving student-athlete integrity[5]. However, the extent of state regulatory actions to mitigate online abuse during March Madness remains ambiguous.
- NCAA President Charlie Baker addressed the escalating harassment of student-athletes during March Madness, specifically the abuse from desperate bettors engaging in prop bets.
- In a chilling portrayal, Baker described online harassment as the most severe form of abuse, with bettors shouting at athletes to "do better!" due to unsatisfying performances.
- To combat this issue, the NCAA is pushing state gaming regulators to address the dangers posed by prop bets during March Madness.
- BetterHelp has launched a campaign called "Stop the Madness" during March Madness, offering a month of free therapy to student athletes and promoting mental health awareness to curb online harassment.
- Despite the efforts to rein in online abuse, the extent of state regulatory actions to mitigate the issue during March Madness remains unclear.
