Maybe the skeptics were right…
I remember being a kid and hearing a lot of sports pundits and fans say back then, and I’m of course paraphrasing here, “If they legalize sports gambling, it’s going to create scandal after scandal with the amount of money being involved.” Fast forward to 2023 as a 32-year-old — seeing scandal after scandal pop up in just a matter of days — I’m starting to think they were right.
But this isn’t just an opinionated blog about what’s been going on, I’ve actually got some news to bring your way as well, because yet ANOTHER scandal has popped up — with this one coming out of the world of Major League Soccer.
A winger for the Colorado Rapids, Max Alves has been suspended because of allegedly being involved with illegal sports gambling. Originally, both MLS and Colorado released statements that announced a player had been slammed with a suspension, but they didn’t name who. Later, it was revealed to be Alves in a report from Brazilian outlet O Globo.
Alves is alleged to have received $12,000 by an organization to be hit with a yellow card during a September 2022 match against the LA Galaxy, according to an investigation via O Globo. Entering the game as a substitute, Alves moved quickly picking up a yellow in just 90 seconds.
O Globo also got their hands on text messages that showed Alves connected fromer Houston Dynamo player Zeca with the gambling organization as well, with Zeca allegedly supposed to do his own match-fixing back in October 2022.
On top of that, five other Brazilian soccer players were also suspended by their clubs Wednesday.
Max Alves, Colorado Rapids winger, is under investigation by the Brazilian Public Ministry for allegedly received R$60.000 to be booked with a yellow card in the match between his club and the LA Galaxy last season, a fact that actually happened.
His name appears in a document… pic.twitter.com/CgQc5SKMNZ
— Gustavo Guimarães (@GdeGustavo83) May 10, 2023
What on earth is going on?
Just in the past week, we’ve seen:
- The University of Iowa alleges that 26 of their athletes from five different Hawkeyes sports programs (football, men’s basketball, baseball, wrestling and men’s track and field), as well as a full-time employee from their athletics department, are involved in gambling that is lllegal via NCAA rules.
- 15 athletes from Iowa State University were announced by the school to have ignored the NCAA’s rules on gambling. The athletes represented three sports — football, wrestling and track and field.
- After suspicious gambling led the state of Ohio to suspend all legal betting on college baseball games associated with the University of Alabama (with other states following suit), the school fired Crimson Tide head coach Brad Bohannon.
- Stanley Berryhill was cut from the Detroit Lions, joining fellow wide receivers Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore who were released by the franchise after the NFL suspended them for violating their gambling policy.
- Detroit wide receiver Jameson Williams and Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney were also handed suspensions by the league as well, however, they remain on their respective teams — for now.
And then you have all of the other gambling scandals that happened prior.
Seriously … what on earth is going on? (RELATED: Outright Chaos Breaks Out In Toronto-Montreal Game As Fans Brawl In Stands And Supporter Slings Megaphone At Kaye)
As much as I love sports gambling, I have to admit … it’s creating some issues here, obviously.