The best thing you'll read all day

[Beyond the Bets]

This is from Joe Posnanski, the best sports writer in the history of the planet. He recently came to Vegas for March Madness, talked to a bunch of sportsbook directors, went to a bunch of sportsbooks, and chronicled the first few days of the NCAA Tournament.

It's long, but it's worth the read.

You can read the full thing here.

You can read an excerpt below.

* * *

So, people tend to downplay gambling in sports. And yet, it is incalculable how many billions of dollars are wagered each year in America on sports — so incalculable that nobody even knows what counts as sports gambling. Is fantasy football sports gambling? Are NCAA office pools sports gambling? Is betting a few bucks on your golf match sports gambling?

The striking part of experiencing March Madness in Las Vegas is that it is so open. There is no pretending here. There is no stirring background music, no talk about the Gipper, no waxing poetic about the rebirth of spring. The end of the Kansas State-Southern Miss game is not really in doubt. Kansas State leads by five, and it has the ball, and there is less than a minute left. And yet, the place is going crazy. People are screaming like mad. Why? For the most obvious reason imaginable — their money. Kansas State is a 5 1/2 point favorite. With 32 seconds left, Angel Hernandez hits a free throw to give the Wildcats a six-point lead. With 14 seconds left, Kansas State’s Jamar Samuels makes another free throw to make it a seven-point lead.

And the place goes absolutely nuts. It’s clear that three-quarters of the people in here have Kansas State minus the points in some bet or another. People tend to bet the favorites. More on that in a minute.

Then Southern Miss’ Cedric Jenkins makes a three-pointer to cut the margin to four with nine seconds left. And the sound in the entire theater cuts off, like a speaker shorting out — with the exception of like two guys, who jump up and start screaming. It’s crazy because the game itself is pretty much over. It would take a series of unimaginable calamities for Kansas State to blow a four-point lead with nine seconds left and the ball in their possession. We have been told so many times by so many athletes and coaches and analysts that a win is a win — the margin doesn’t matter.

But, here, the margin is ALL that matters. For people who bet with some seriousness on sports — one out of six Americans, according to a 2008 Gallup Poll — this is so obvious that it does not even merit mention. But when you are used to watching sports outside of Vegas, where the cheers tend to rise and fall with the game itself, this sound for a team to cover the spread is a jarring sound.

Southern Miss does foul Rodriguez with six seconds left, which greatly improves the mood of the crowd. When he makes the first free throw, there is some happy murmuring. When he makes the second, there is a joy explosion, and when Southern Miss’ Neil Watson misses what might have seemed to be a meaningless last-second three-point attempt, the place for a few seconds sounds like Wembley when a goal is scored.

Then, the sounds fade, and people start mulling around — looking for a beer and the next bet.

[ChiefZilla]

(03-20-2012 08:13 AM)Beyond the Bets Wrote:  It's long, but it's worth the read.

That just about sums up everything that JoePo writes. Sure miss that guy at the Star. Thanks for sharing.