ESPN's coverage of college football has recently undergone a "fairly significant shift," with "increased discussion of point spreads and even the 'over-under,' ... as well as specific segments on various shows focused directly on betting," according to George Schroeder of USA TODAY. A popular segment on "College GameDay" is when analysts make picks, which this season is seeing some predictions "made against the spread." Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby: "I don’t think those are things that ought to be a part of the presentation of college football, but maybe that’s the environment in which we find ourselves." ESPN in a statement indicated that its shift "was simply an acknowledgment of the growing interest in gambling on sports." Several ADs suggested that the emphasis "would undermine the NCAA’s historic stance against gambling." Arizona AD Greg Byrne: "Anytime there’s anything to do with sports gambling and college sports, understandably that will be something I would hope at some point will be discussed." Though it "appears on the surface to be unrelated," several ADs "connected the apparent new emphasis on sports betting with ESPN’s business relationships with companies like DraftKings and FanDuel." Although the bulk of the fantasy sports business -- traditional or the daily version -- "has been centered on professional sports, college football is a growing portion of the business." The idea that fantasy sports "would use college players’ names and performances to determine winners and payouts concerns athletic directors." Among other reasons, they are "concerned college athletes might be enticed to play the daily games -- perhaps choosing themselves" (USA TODAY, 9/9).
LIVIN' ON THE EDGE: ESPN Senior Coordinating Producer Lee Fitting said of using spreads more, "We talked about doing this all of the past offseason and we’ve considered this for a long period of time. We recognize that fans are very interested in this type of talk. Our goal on 'College GameDay' is to serve the fans and we believe by doing this, from time to time and when we feel it’s right, serves the fan." Fitting said that "GameDay" will "aim for any gambling stat to have value for non-gamblers." SI.com's Richard Deitsch reported deciding on which games to pick straight up versus the spread "will change week to week." For "GameDay," the "majority of the gambling mentions" will center around ESPN Senior Researcher Chris Fallica. Fitting: "That’s his specialty, his niche, and we feel comfortable when he is delivering this kind of information." Fitting said that pushback from university administration or the NCAA "is always a concern with this kind of material but he believed 'GameDay' would do things in a smart and thoughtful manner." He said that he "was in constant contact with ESPN’s Programming Department, who would likely handle any angry calls from NCAA officials." Fitting: "The bottom line is this: We won’t go overboard with gambling talk" (SI.com, 9/8).
