Fans have always loved their teams, but how has the fan experience changed over the years? Let’s take a look.
Supporting A Local Team
Sports are about more than what happens on the field; they’re closely intertwined with local pride, especially in some corners of the world. Local fans of the Boston Red Sox don’t just have an interest in their team because of their love for baseball; rather, it’s also a chance to show off their local pride. Indeed, sports teams with a solid local presence function as more than just another sports organization. They become pillars of the community, around which the local culture is based. In the past, this happened mostly because it wasn’t possible to support teams in other parts of the country or world due to the lack of information available.
Backing A Team to Win
The quality and professionalism of the action on the field have improved over the years. But some elements of the fan experience are the same today as they were in Roman times, two thousand years ago. The origins of gambling date back to the gladiator battles and chariot races held in those famous coliseums and, while we thankfully got rid of the bloody battles, the gambling stuck around. People will always want their teams to win for more reasons than just the initial glory. Sometimes they have a financial stake in it, sometimes it’s regional pride, and sometimes it’s because of how much they dislike the opposition.
Building A Life Around the Action
Is there a hobby that is as all-consuming as sports? People have various interests, but few can match the utter commitment and devotion that sports fans show. The time that fans dedicate to their teams extends far beyond the several hours on matchday. Indeed, the action that takes place at that time is just a springboard for the first half of the following week, when fans spend countless hours discussing the results and consuming related media. The second half of the working week is built around the upcoming game. And then the weekend itself is built around that game. Fans have always been highly passionate about their teams, so that’s something that hasn’t changed. In fact, it’s actually grown more consuming, thanks to the digital tools available.
Digital Tools
Fans in the past consumed all the action and news they could get their hands on. The issue was that there wasn’t all that much to consume. These days, things are different. Thanks to the rise of the internet, there’s not a moment when fans can’t indulge in their passion in one way or another. They can listen to a sports podcast on their commute, watch highlight videos on their phones, and discuss their team on Twitter whenever they please.
Reduced Connection Between Players and Fans
The increasing amounts of money in professional sports have undoubtedly led to an increase in quality -- and, as a result, an improved fan experience. But they have also created a divide between the players and the fans. Sports stars have always been viewed as de facto gladiators but, in the past, they were sports stars among the general public, i.e., they would still take the bus to the game. The significant salaries that players now earn largely cut them off from the community.
Global Appeal
We talked earlier about how fans support their local team but, in the olden days, if you didn’t have a local team, then you were more or less left out of the professional sporting experience. Thankfully, that’s not the case today. Due to digital multimedia, no matter where you live, you can follow a major sports team with just as much insight and passion as a local fan would.
Giants Want To Retain Patrick Graham As Defensive Coordinator
On Friday, the New York Giants hired former Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll as their new head coach.
Daboll may be replacing Joe Judge, but the Giants are planning to keep one of their valuable assistants for the new head coach.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Giants will retain defensive coordinator Patrick Graham if he doesn’t get hired for a head coaching position elsewhere. Graham is a candidate for the Minnesota Vikings’ head coach job, Rapoport noted.
But if the Vikings go in another direction, Daboll and company won’t have to worry about filling Graham's position.
The Giants fielded the NFL’s 12th ranked defense as well as the ninth-best scoring defense in 2020. The defense regressed considerably this year, ranking just 23rd in scoring. Still, Graham has done excellent work with very limited talent on the defense side of the ball, and it’s no surprise that New York is planning to keep the 43-year-old.
Only five NFL teams currently have lower odds of winning next year’s Super Bowl than the Giants (+6500). Several New York sportsbooks promo codes are currently offering $1,000 in risk-free bets to customers.
Andy Reid: “Nobody Looking At Pat Mahomes Cross-Eyed From Our Side”
While the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams prepare for their Super Bowl LVI meeting, the Kansas City Chiefs are trying to comprehend what went wrong on Sunday afternoon.
A sluggish second half from Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense saw the Chiefs fail to clinch a third consecutive Super Bowl berth.
Mahomes had two costly picks and coughed up the football in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, but offensive lineman Joe Thuney managed to recover the ball before Cincy could clinch the game.
Following the Chiefs’ heartbreaking loss, head coach Andy Reid refused to critique his franchise quarterback. Reid made it clear that the coaching staff still has full faith in Mahomes.
“I think he was one half away from going to his third Super Bowl in a row, and that's pretty impressive," Reid said on Monday, per NFL.com’s Nick Shook. "You've been around this a long time as a lot of us have, and that's pretty impressive. Most of these teams that are getting this far have good quarterbacks, that's just how it works. We're fortunate to have him. There's nobody looking at Pat Mahomes cross-eyed from our side and I would anticipate our fans feel the same way.”
Two seasons ago, Mahomes led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl LIV victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Their bid at a repeat was thwarted by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who cruised to a 31-9 victory inside their home venue of Raymond James Stadium.
This Kansas City team may have tasted championship glory not too long ago, but it’s hard not to think that they’ve already underachieved under Mahomes. Four straight AFC Championship Game appearances at home, and they only have the one Lombardi Trophy to show for it.
The Chiefs led the Bengals 21-3 late in the second quarter, and the lead was cut to 11 before halftime. Through the first two quarters, KC was firing on all cylinders, and the Bengals’ high-powered offense couldn’t get much of anything going.
But Cincy flipped the script entirely in the second half. They held Kansas City to just three points over the final two quarters and overtime. Burrow, Joe Mixon and Ja’Marr Chase went into a new gear and led Cincy to 14 unanswered second half points. It took a last-second Harrison Butker field goal for Kansas City to force OT.
Mahomes’ final opportunity to play hero in overtime was ripped away by Vonn Bell, who picked off a deep pass intended for Tyreek Hill. That set up Cincy with a short field, and Evan McPherson’s 31-yarder sent KC to the Super Bowl.
Packers Promote Adam Stenavich To Offensive Coordinator Position
The Green Bay Packers announced Monday that offensive line coach and running game coordinator Adam Stenavich has been promoted to offensive coordinator.
The 38-year-old Stenavich replaces Nathaniel Hackett, whom the Denver Broncos hired as their new head coach last week. Stenavich was solely the offensive line coach in 2019 and 2020 before having the running game coordinator position added to his duties in 2021.
Before Matt LaFleur hired Stenavich to his staff in 2019, the latter served as an assistant offensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers under Kyle Shanahan from 2017 to 2018.
The future of likely 2021 MVP Aaron Rodgers has been a major talking point since last year’s draft. Rodgers hasn’t announced yet if he’ll continue playing football in 2022, and if he’ll return to the Packers following a dramatic offseason that saw him look for a trade.
If Rodgers decides to stay, it will certainly make Stenavich’s job that much easier.
The Super Bowl LVI participants are set, and there are not too many who would have bet on the Cincinnati Bengals to face the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams enter as a favorite, but that is perfectly fine for Cincinnati, who have overcome the odds to get to the big dance.
If you’re planning to place a bet on the Super Bowl, here is a guide with the 3 Easiest Super Bowl 56 bets anyone can make, that was created by the guys at Sports Betting Dime.
The Rams will have the luxury of playing in their home, SoFi Stadium, but this has been a post-season where the road teams have been dominant. Los Angeles went all in at the start of the season, trading their Quarterback, Jared Goff, and a slew of First Round Picks to Detroit for Matthew Stafford. The move was every bit the upgrade they hoped for, and it helped propel Wide Receiver, Cooper Kupp, to new single-season receiving records and a possible MVP.
Defensively, the Rams are led by Aaron Donald, the three-time Defensive MVP and future first ballot Hall of Famer. It is a complete team coached by Sean McVay, who at 36 years of age, will appear in his second Super Bowl, a first for any Coach under 40.
The Bengals have never won the Super Bowl, and are appearing in their third, the last coming 23 years ago in a loss to San Francisco. Cincinnati first beat Las Vegas at home, and then upset the top seed Tennessee Titans and defending AFC Champion, Kansas City on the road to get here.
Led by Quarterback, Joe Burrow, the Bengals are riding on momentum and emotion, and while Burrow is only in his second season, he already has a pedigree of a champion. Along with his teammate and current start Wide Receiver, Ja’Marr Chase, the duo won the National Championship at LSU two years ago, and the image of Burrow smoking a cigar after the victory is an iconic moment that Bengals fans hope to see repeated.
Both teams are capable of comebacks, as shown in each Conference Championship Games, so don’t let any halftime score make you think the game is over.
This is a fresh Super Bowl match, and we can’t wait to see how this will play out.
Super Bowl LVI will be on Sunday, February 13 at 6:30 p.m. EST.
Membership into the NFL’s Hall of Fame is arguably the greatest honor any player can receive in the NFL. It is recognition for a fantastic career in the league and suggests a player was one of the best in their position during that spell.
Although there is a lot more work to do for these players, before they can reach for the ultimate NFL accolade, here are three stars who are on course to end their career as Hall of Fame hopefuls.
Since arriving in the NFL in 2017, Patrick Mahomes has created an incredibly high standard for quarterbacks to follow. In his first full season, he won the MVP award for his performances for the Kansas City Chiefs. Mahomes led his team to the Super Bowl in 2020, though 12 months later, his side was beaten by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Super Bowl LV.
What makes Mahomes so special, and potentially a future Hall of Famer, is that he can produce quality plays that seemingly no other QB in the NFL can do. He passes from all kinds of angles with great accuracy and the 26-year-old is also a great scrambler, hurting defenses just when they think they have got him.
With the way things are headed, it's very likely that Mahomes could be set for another Super Bowl ring this season. As it stands, the Kansas City Chiefs are currently the favorites to win the Super Bowl LVI on DraftKings, one of the most acclaimed online sports betting sites in Iowa, with odds of +120. Other contenders such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are priced at +1000, while the San Francisco 49ers are pegged at +450.
Outsider linebacker TJ Watt has been in the NFL five years now and in each of those seasons, he has been one of the stand-out defensive players in the league. If it wasn’t for future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, he would have won at least one NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award by now.
Like his brother JJ, Watt has been so destructive to quarterbacks, regardless of their quality and reputation. He has 72 sacks to his name now since 2017, 22.5 came in 2021 in what was the best year of his career, matching the NFL record which was held by Michael Strahan since 2001.
The Steelers man signed a four-year extension with his franchise last year worth $112 million. $80 million of that money is guaranteed. Steelers are relieved to have locked down their star player for another four years.
Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor quickly made a name for himself in the NFL in his rookie year. He scored 11 touchdowns in 13 games and rushed for over 1,000 yards.
In his second year, Taylor led the league in rushing yards, finishing the campaign with 1,811 yards. Taylor also broke the franchise record for the most rushing yards in a season. If Taylor continues at the rate he is going, he is set to break many records in the league. The biggest threat to the 23-year-old could be injuries. As Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley have found, the position is tough on the body, and it only takes one tackle to put a player out for a sustained period.
The early signs around Taylor are very good. He is explosive and intelligent. It’s a combination that should lead to him developing into one of the best players in the NFL. There is a long way before the above three players become eligible for the NFL Hall of Fame but their current projections have them on course to get there after they retire.
Fullbacks are one of many vital positions in any good NFL team. Without a good fullback, a team might as well not be playing! A fully qualified quarterback can considerably increase a team’s NFL odds
The fullback is often referred to as the ‘muscle’ of a team. Fullback players are often incredibly powerful and muscular, and, as such can easily cut through an opposing team’s defenses, able to push through even the toughest tackles.
There have been many fullback players over the years for many different teams, but only a few have ever etched their names in the NFL hall of fame. Let’s take a look at 8 of the best!
Jim Brown has long been hailed as one of the greatest fullbacks in the history of the NFL. Over the course of his very extensive career, he was able to carry the ball over 2,000 times and carried it over a cumulative distance of 104 yards.
He has even performed an incredible 106 touchdowns, an incredible hallmark for any player!
Having played in both the world-famous San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Colts, Joe Perry has had an incredible career over his tenure in the sport. He played from 1948 until 1963, which was his final year, earning him an impressive 15 years in the sport!
Joe Perry boasted an incredible build that allowed him to carve a path right through so many defensive strategies, this was most likely benefited by his time in the military, where he was first scouted for the 49ers!
Larry Csonka proved to be a vital part of his team the Miami Dolphins, and he was able to bring his absolute best to every single game he played. This earned him an incredible reputation that struck fear in opposing forces.
In his time he was one of the largest and most imposing players on the field, which helped his team to earn an incredible number of career touchdowns!
Catching is equally as important to a successful play in the NFL as actually touching the ball down, and no player understood this better than Larry Centers.
He was able to catch pretty much any ball that was thrown his way, which made him the perfect fullback for his varying teams, which included the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and the Washington Redskins.
He was definitely a player to keep your eye on!
Jim Taylor was most likely amongst some of the first true NFL superstars thanks to his commanding presence which he boasted across the field from 1958 to 1967.
He famously played for two teams, the Green Bay Packers, and the New Orleans Saints, and brought his formidable presence to them both, to lead them to many amazing victories!
John Riggins was often famously referred to as “The Diesel”. This name was likely given to him as a result of the powerful and fast way in which he cut a course across the field. No players could compete against him, and any player that even attempted to tackle him would quickly be thrown to the wayside.
John Riggins was definitely a spectacle who had to be witnessed first-hand to be truly appreciated!
Even in his early days in the sport, playing for university teams, Bronko Nagurski proved to be an absolutely commanding force.
He began his career with the Chicago Bears in 1930 and kept his incredible track record going for an impressive 13 years, until 1943.
Upon finishing his career in the NFL, Bronko also went on to have a very healthy career in professional wrestling, benefited by his incredibly large and muscular physique. Within both sports, he was able to make an incredible name for himself and create a legacy that will last for many years to come!
John Henry Johnson proved to be an absolute game-changer. He made a considerable splash upon starting in the NFL, impressing onlookers with his incredible strength and speed. And on a game-to-game basis, his quick thinking and his incredible strength meant he was able to make game-saving or game-turning moves.
John Henry Johnson has proven responsible for saving his team from enduring many losses, while also performing many tide-turning touchdowns that shook up the NFL rankings frequently.
John Henry Johnson played for the San Francisco 49ers, the Detroit Lions, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him one of the most prolific players of his generation.
The NFL has seen many incredible Fullbacks come and go, but none are perhaps so amazing and legendary as the eight players we explored above. The legacy of these players will definitely be felt for many more years in the NFL!
With the 2022 Super Bowl match played at So-Fi Stadium, Inglewood on Sunday 13th February almost here, the remaining teams in the frame will be preparing for their shot at glory. Their place in the sporting history books and into the running for a future hall of fame spot. Which name will reign supreme and become the 57th Super Bowl champion? That’s a question that has got the professional online bettors of the world paying attention.
Every year we see from the live TV viewing figures that the Super Bowl ranks amongst the most popular fixtures in sport. It’s up there with the soccer World Cup and the summer Olympics so it’s only natural that the biggest NFL betting companies began to show more interest. You can now have your say on dozens of exciting match specials from anywhere in the country using your mobile app.
Super Bowl LVI will be the most-watched and most bet-on American Football match played in history. That’s thanks to the increase of reliable live streaming apps and the easing of the sports betting laws across the United States. It could all become a bit complicated, but we’re here to help. Below you’ll find some of the most common questions asked regarding sports betting and the answers given by the experts.
Online sports betting is legal in many countries worldwide and in a growing number of states across America. Online gambling isn’t yet legal in every area of the US just yet with some states still debating the move while others remain dead against it. It is important that you check the latest laws regarding online gambling in your country and state before attempting to place a wager on the Super Bowl.
If betting is legal, you can join an online bookie and place your bets. If betting is illegal you should respect the laws of the land. It is possible to visit your nearest state where betting has been legalised and place a gamble.
Most online bookmakers offer new customers a welcome bonus when they sign-up, make their first deposit and place a bet. These promotions come in many different shapes and sizes, including free bets, risk-free bets, enhanced odds, cashback, profit boosts and extra places each way. The most popular is the deposit matched free bet.
With this deal, you should join a bookie, make a deposit and place a qualifying bet on sports. When that wager has been confirmed, a free bet equal in value to your deposit will be added to your account balance and can be used to gamble on your favourite sports.
Many bettors prefer to wait until the Super Bowl final line-up has been confirmed and they have just two teams to choose from. This is a fair approach as it ensures you get, at least, a run for your money in the final but there is another way that could allow you to back your team at better odds. The earlier you make your bets, the higher the price will be.
You can bet antepost on the Super Bowl, before game one of the regular season, or at any time during the competition. Traders offer odds on the outright winner during the regular season, the playoffs, on the approach to the Super Bowl and during the big match itself. The more teams in the running, the more risk posed to your stake but the better the rewards.
The most popular way to bet on the Super Bowl is to back the team you expect to win the match. Get your stake down and if your prediction is correct, you will be paid out at the secured odds with the profits added to your betting account in withdrawable cash.
The match winner isn’t the only market available with traders at the leading betting apps going all out to mark the occasion and enhance their customers' enjoyment of the play. Other popular betting markets include total points, handicap, spread, first touchdown scorer, first points scorer and more.
Every year, Super Bowl betting outnumbers all other sporting events in terms of volume, with billions of dollars wagered on the game, attracting sports bettors from all over the world.
The Super Bowl's competitive nature is amplified by large incentives, gorgeous championship rings, and lucrative endorsement deals, making it one of the most exciting sporting events of the year.
Is Betting on the Super Bowl Legal?
There's no federal regulation that prohibits sports bettors from wagering on the Super Bowl, thanks to the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, often known as PASPA. In any of the states with betting regulations, you can legally bet on the Super Bowl.
Even if your state is yet to enact sports betting legislation, overseas sportsbooks operate in such jurisdictions. So, residents can register on these sportsbooks and place Super Bowl LVI wagers.
Where Can I Bet on the Super Bowl In My State?
You can bet on the Super Bowl from anywhere in the United States. Depending on your jurisdiction, you can use land-based sportsbooks or an online sportsbook. Looking for great options? Bet on the Super Bowl at FanDuel to find NFL futures and get your first bet up to $1000 risk-free.
If your state is yet to enact betting legislation, consider using a legitimate offshore sportsbook.
Betting Strategies for the Super Bowl
While there's no foolproof gambling strategy, it's helpful to have a strategy in place when you're ready to gamble.
To get you started, we'll go through the three most basic betting types: betting the spread, taking the over/under, and selecting the money line.
Point Spread - The point spread is a set number of points assigned to each side that tells the bettor how much they are expected to win or lose by. To cover, a team must win by more than the point spread or lose by less than the point spread. As points are awarded to underdogs, they are recorded in the positive column, while favored clubs are shown in the negative column.
Money Line - If you just want to bet on the winner of the game and nothing else, money line bets on the Super Bowl are the way to go. Each team will have three-digit Super Bowl odds in the positive or negative, indicating their chances of winning or losing as well as the amount of money that can be won vs the amount of money that can be lost.
Over/Under - This statistic is often shown on the far right of Super Bowl betting lines, and it denotes the total number of points that bookmakers believe both teams will score. Bettors must wager on whether the final point total will be more than or lower than the line. It simply asks the bettor to predict whether the combined score of both teams will be higher or lower than the specified point total.
Other Legal Super Bowl Betting Options
Prop betting is perhaps the most well-known kind of betting during Super Bowl season. For the Super Bowl, both online and land-based sportsbooks will provide various options — whether you're betting on the team or on player prop bets.
Offshore betting sites will provide more alternatives, but it's up to you to decide what you want to achieve.
Prop betting is similar to the three strategies discussed above, but it focuses only on one aspect of the game. Instead of choosing a winner or the number of points scored, you may choose how many yards the quarterback will throw, how many touchdowns will be allowed, if a fumble will be allowed, how far the longest field goal will be, how long the longest completed pass will be, and so on.
Because there are so many options, do your study ahead of time before trying to lock in a prop bet. Although the majority of these are simple yes/no questions with a standard fee, some may be more difficult to answer.
Watching any sports event live is one of the most exhilarating experiences for sports lovers. It can bring about the excitement that a match recording can never do justice to.
However, for several reasons, many viewers may not be able to watch matches or other sports-related activities live. In such scenarios, live streaming sports is the best option. You can provide the audience with a live experience at their convenience and cost.
Let’s look at a few more benefits of live streaming sports.
Live streaming sports can improve audience engagement. Although the audience may not be present physically at the sports venue, they can still get a good view of the stadium.
For instance, you can provide a 360-degree view to the audience or offer a multiple-angle view. Thus, covering the sports event from every corner of the stadium.
Apart from multiple angles, you can also improve audience engagement by other means. For example, live streaming allows you to stream other things, such as player interviews, training practices, and many more.
Hence, live streaming any sports event allows you to increase audience engagement.
Brand promotion is crucial for sports organizations if they wish to stay in the public eye and keep the players relevant.
You can market it on social media when you decide to live stream any sports event. This social media promotion provides visibility and exposure to sports organizations, as several sport enthusiasts would talk about the event on social media platforms.
However, the sports event you’re live streaming must be available quickly to the viewers. There are specific free streaming sites like these sites, where viewers can watch sports live without much interruption or disturbance.
Did you know that more than 150 million peopole in the US watch live sports events at least once a month in 2019? This statistic proves that you can expand your audience base significantly by live streaming sports.
Live streaming sports provides the utmost comfort and convenience to the viewers. With the help of free sport streaming sites, viewers don’t need to pay anything to watch any sports event. All they need is an electronic device to stream the event.
It’s also convenient for sports organizers, as they need not worry about the venue capacity. They can promote the event properly and expand the audience base by offering the option of live streaming.
No sports lover appreciates spoilers. Now, the best part of live streaming sports is that viewers can enjoy the matches at the same time as they’re going on.
Viewers don’t need to wait for hours to watch the event on a sports channel. This way, they can avoid running into any match-related spoilers. Thus, keeping their excitement and adrenaline rush intact provides a better audience experience.
Live streaming sports may seem like a massive blow to revenue generation. After all, it’s free for the most part. However, there are ways to generate revenue by live streaming sports, such as:
Hence, if you want to generate revenue by live streaming sports, it is possible too.
The best part about live streaming sports events is that you can get all of the benefits mentioned above at a minimal cost.
Apart from technical equipment, like a professional camera, you don’t require a lot to stream live sports events online.
There are also various platforms today where you can live stream sports events. For instance, if you don’t want to live stream at a more significant level, you can always opt for social media sites, like Facebook.
Apart from you, live streaming sports events are also affordable for most viewers. They can stream it on any device, such as a TV, phone, or tablet as long as they have a stable connection. Although, if you decide to live stream the event on a streaming service, they may have to pay the charges accordingly.
With the advancement of technology, it has become extremely easy to live stream sports. However, keeping its ease aside, live streaming sports events provides several other benefits to you and your viewers too.
You can market or promote the sports event by live streaming it, and even generate revenue out of it. On the other hand, live streaming sports provide your audience with convenience, comfort, and affordability. Thus, you can easily extend your audience base.
Since New Jersey won a Supreme Court case that allowed sports betting to become legal, the state has enjoyed one of the most thriving sports betting industries. As the first state, New Jersey surpassed 1 billion dollars in sports betting in September 2021 and the market shows no signs of slowing down.
If you are living in New Jersey or will be paying the state a visit, then you might be curious about what options you have if you want to bet on sport, and how you make the most of them.
In New Jersey you can either place a bet in person at specific sports betting sites throughout the state, or you can download and use online sports betting apps on your laptop, smartphone or tablet. The latter has become the preferred option for many as it’s much more convenient and often comes with great perks like welcome offers and ongoing promotions. Before you get started, find out how betting in New Jersey works so you know how to read the odds and make the best decisions.
When you ask most sports gamblers why they bet, it’s rarely the money that comes first. The joy of sport takes first place and sports betting is often seen as a way of enhancing the experience. Let’s say you love basketball and follow NBA games on a regular basis, then you get much more out of it by watching a game in person, especially if you have placed bets. It makes it more thrilling and exciting. Besides, you get to speak with other fans and assess the players’ skills first-hand.
It’s more fun sharing your interest with other people, especially when it’s to do with sport. That’s why you get much more out of sports betting in New Jersey by teaming up with others. Get talking about it, share strategies and tactics and be part of the journey together. If your friends are all on board, it is a fun activity for your next weekend getaway as you can combine it with watching sport. Not bad.
Sports betting is about luck, but it is mostly about skill. To be good at it, you need to be able to predict outcomes and results, and that often requires research and in-depth knowledge of the sport you are betting on. If baseball is your thing, then find out how the players are ranking. Who is best and are there any newcomers that will change things up? It’s all about research, getting to know the jargon and following the latest odds.
You must never lose sight of why you are betting on sports: Because it’s fun. Don’t let the dream of winning money overshadow the enjoyment you get from watching the sport. Having fun makes sports betting a more pleasurable experience – and you have better chances of winning too as you are less likely to make rushed and ill-informed decisions.
On a ballot packed with qualified candidates for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is it possible that none of them will be elected this year?
If that happens, as it did last year, it would be the third time in the last decade that the qualified voters of the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) have thrown a shutout at the Hall of Fame. This is an odd paradox considering that after the Big Zilch of 2013, the BBWAA in subsequent years went on to elect 22 players across the next seven ballots, with the various guises of the veterans committee voting in another five players (and six non-players) during that seven-year span. (In 2013, the veterans committee did elect three candidates to the Hall.)
Last year, Curt Schilling, who had garnered 70 percent of the vote on the previous ballot, seemed to be a lock for election. Instead, he stalled with a negligible increase in support, then threw a social-media Trumper tantrum declaring that he wanted to be removed from this year's ballot. The Hall of Fame quickly responded that it would not do so.