There was once a time where it was a big deal whenever an ESPN personality would subtly allude to sports betting. Those days are long gone with ESPN going all in on sports betting and even promoting an ESPN-branded sportsbook.
But on Sunday, we saw exactly what can go wrong when ESPN tries to balance the act of being a sports media entity that also has a financial interest in sports betting.
During an ESPN Bet segment with Erin Dolan, the betting analyst explained why she was going to pick the under for Northwestern in Sunday’s matchup against UConn. Dolan admitted that she didn’t have a ton of research to back up the pick, which was fine. But the entire segment crossed a line when Rece Davis responded with, “Some would call this wagering, gambling … I think the way you’ve sold this, I think what it is, is a risk-free investment.”
Just no.
There is not an aspect of sports betting that is risk free. Even the most lopsided of matchup has an assumed risk, and an under pick with -110 odds is decidedly not risk free. Davis essentially told ESPN’s viewers that a bet was a lock when that bet couldn’t have been further from a lock.
Fans were quick to criticize Davis for the remark. It was the kind of comment that every ESPN personality should know to avoid making about sports betting.