Youth Sports: Gambling

This website covers the good, the bad and the ugly of youth sports. It doesn't get any uglier than the criminal element gambling on youth sports, paying pee wee players to perform or throw a game and the intimidation of those who don't.

ESPN Outside the Lines did a 7 month investigation of gambling on youth football in South Florida. Check it out.




The Main Point

Yelling at refs, conspiring against coaches, players or coaches cheating during a game, parents or coaches encouraging violence on the field, confidence killing coaches, parents drinking excessively at youth sports games, etc. are all ugly elements of youth sports that I have witnessed. Gambling, drug money and intimidation takes the ugliness to another level. I was shocked by the story at first, but I am not sure why. The ugliness I see is from middle to upper class people who typically have strong family units and quality education. The families depicted in this ESPN OTL story do not have it as easy.