ESPN sells its soul for James story

Basketball Betting Lines

07/07/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Few remember when ESPN launched in 1979, the letters were actually an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network.

Yep, the fledgling ESPN actually ran movies, business shows and exercise videos in between SportsCenter. Needless to say it wasn't a great mix and the station slowly evolved into the juggernaut it is now. Today, however, they are closer than ever to that original acronym.

The Worldwide Leader is pure entertainment these days, not that there is anything wrong with that. Real world news outlets have followed suit to a degree. On big days FOXNews' Glenn Beck records over three million viewers, second only to Bill O'Reilly despite airing during the afternoon. And, Beck occasionally has more viewers in the all important 25-54 age bracket than O'Reilly, a stunning accomplishment for a 5 p.m. (et) program.

More entertainer than political pundit, Beck at least has the courtesy to call his show a "fusion of entertainment and enlightenment."

In our current media culture that features the 24-7 news cycle, bloggers and Tweets, there is a fine line between a news gathering organization and an entertainment vehicle. ESPN is painfully close to fully selling out and going strictly entertainment after agreeing to televise LeBron James' dog and pony show on Thursday, where the biggest prize in NBA free agent history will finally make a decision and chose which team he'll play for next.

"Sources" told ESPN's Chris Broussard that James would announce his decision live on the cable network during a 9 p.m. (et) special. Flip on the channel right now and you will see something akin to a cable infomercial, hyping the event at every turn. The only thing missing is the late Billy Mays.

I understand wanting ratings, the be-all, end-all in the television industry but at what point does ESPN's ombudsman introduce journalistic integrity into the conversation?

Those same "sources" in the programming department feeding Broussard won't even let us in on where the special will be emanating from, despite the fact that the network surely has to tell its camera people where to show up and block off satellite time.

The only explanation is that ESPN doesn't want any reporters reading the tea leaves correctly and breaking a story that it sold its collective soul for.

I almost expect the network to put the teams in the running for James' services, his hometown Cavaliers, the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers and New Jersey, on an island and have challenges and immunity on the way to the big prize.

Or maybe it can put Donnie Walsh, Pat Riley and company on a stage and have LeBron hand the winner a single rose.

Either way, the only winner will be James' fed and placed ego.

The loser? How about journalism.

RANKING LEBRON'S SUITORS:

1. - Cleveland Cavaliers: Less than 24 hours ago, LeBron was reportedly trying to convince Chris Bosh to join him with the Cavs but the big man must have had a few close calls in The Flats since he agreed to play with "The King" anywhere other than Cleveland. Bosh's decision to relocate to Miami put the Heat and Knicks back in the mix and threatened to destroy the Cavaliers franchise. That said, hopping on national television and stabbing the city that has done so much for you would be public relations suicide. This whole ordeal doesn't exactly speak to James' savvy when it comes to p.r. but you have to believe someone in his inner circle has some common sense. The best bet still points to a short-term deal in Cleveland so James can stroke that massive ego again in a few years.

2. - Miami Heat: Dwyane Wade has successful recruited his friend Bosh to South Beach and now both players are reportedly trying to convince James to form the Holy Trinity in the party capital of the East Coast. The question is can James handle playing Alex Rodriguez to Wade's Derek Jeter on the Heat?

3. - New York Knicks: One report has James advisors Maverick Carter and Randy Mims in New York and the Knicks, who looked dead in the water 48 hours ago, are now back in the hunt. James would team with Amare Stoudemire and possibly Raymond Felton in the Big Apple, turning the Knicks from an also-ran to an instant 55-win team.

4. - New Jersey Nets: Owner Mikhail Prokhorov has reportedly been partying in Turkey while team spokesman/minority owner Jay-Z was in London for a concert on July 4 and is scheduled for another show in Ireland on July 11. You would think if the Nets thought they had a shot at LeBron, the big boys would be back in the country.

5. - Chicago Bulls: LeBron lackey Wes Wesley was pushing the Bulls from the get-go but he's clearly lost power in James' inner circle and the fact that Bosh chose Miami over the Windy City seems to have sealed Chicago's fate. The Bulls will likely now turn their attention to Carlos Boozer or David Lee.

6. - Los Angles Clippers: Unless Vinny Del Negro is LeBron's long lost cousin, the Clippers are the one team you can kick off the island right now.

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Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.