NHL Gambling Scandal Stinks, Regardless of the Outcome
A TV analyst and former NHL enforcer is among the first to defend hockey players who allegedly made wagers with an illegal gambling ring uncovered by New Jersey police. Nick Kypreos goes with the "gambling as part of life" defense.
"Yes, the boys like to play cards," Kypreos told CBC Television newsmagazine The National. "But guess what? Somewhere in the hospital right now there's five doctors getting together. There's five firemen, policemen. There is gambling everywhere."
If Kypreos believes it's that simple, he's an even bigger fool than the one he plays on television.
Even if the investigation proves, as first reported, that the NHL players never bet on hockey, there are any number of reasons why athletes and underworld gambling are a putrid mix.
The point Kypreos might have been trying to make is a valid one: society is at odds with itself over gambling. It's an open secret that last Sunday's Super Bowl was more than just a game, that sports wagering is nearly as big an industry as sport itself. State and provincial governments, meanwhile, hoover up billions through lotteries, scratch tickets, video lotto machines and countless other schemes. Yet we're supposed to be outraged that an unlicensed gambling ring pulled in a measly $1.7 million?
But when it comes to sports betting, athletes must remain a breed apart. Expecting them to live lives beyond reproach is foolish. But they should at least have the good sense to steer clear of rackets run by wise guys.
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