NCAA bullies kill Sports Action.Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Brett Olson For The Register-Guard Right now in the state of Oregon, any subject related to college sports and the NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association should be connected to the state universities' upcoming football seasons. Unfortunately, another subject has intruded. Recently, Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed House Bill 3466, which will eliminate Sports Action, the state's only avenue for legal sports betting. Before the bill reached the governor's desk, the Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem. voted unanimously to abolish Sports Action. Why would our representatives remove a form of sports betting that resulted from the voters' decision in 1984 to create a state lottery A game of chance operated by a state government. Generally a lottery offers a person the chance to win a prize in exchange for something of lesser value. Most lotteries offer a large cash prize, and the chance to win the cash prize is typically available for one dollar. ? Put simply, they were bullied into it. And who is to blame? None other than the NCAA. For years now, Oregon has tried to entice the NCAA to play major college post-season games in arenas such as Portland's Rose Garden or the University of Oregon's McArthur Court. For years, the NCAA has said no, and many have speculated that its refusal was because Oregon had a legal form of sports betting. The NCAA has zero tolerance The policy of applying laws or penalties to even minor infringements of a code in order to reinforce its overall importance and enhance deterrence. Since the 1980s the phrase zero tolerance has signified a philosophy toward illegal conduct that favors strict imposition of for betting on college athletics, as it should. The NCAA believes college athletes easily can be manipulated into following along with fixed games or point shaving scandals. Recent history has shows this concern to be justified. Examples include scandals involving the 1994 Arizona State University Arizona State University, at Tempe; coeducational; opened 1886 as a normal school, became 1925 Tempe State Teachers College, renamed 1945 Arizona State College at Tempe. Its present name was adopted in 1958. men's basketball team and the 1998 Northwestern University football team. NCAA officials have spent millions of dollars on anti-gambling commercials and educational programs to teach players and administrators about the negative effects of betting on college sports. But the NCAA is wrong to punish a state that had legalized betting on professional football. The largest amount of money a person could bet on a Sports Action ticket was $20. To win a Sports Action game, a person had to successfully predict which team would win three different games, while covering the point spread for each. Obviously, given the small amount of money involved and the fact that Oregon does not have a professional football team in the state, the risk of corruption was practically nonexistent non·ex·is·tence n. 1. The condition of not existing. 2. Something that does not exist. non . Illegal sports betting is a $300 billion a year pimple pimple, small pointed elevation of the skin that may or may not contain pus. The formation of pimples is frequently associated with infection, irritation, or overactivity of the sebaceous and sweat glands. Repeated eruptions of pimples are often termed acne. on the face of America. In 1992, the U.S. Senate passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which made it illegal for a state to legalize le·gal·ize tr.v. le·gal·ized, le·gal·iz·ing, le·gal·iz·es To make legal or lawful; authorize or sanction by law. le sports betting. States that had legalized sports betting - Nevada and Oregon - were grandfathered in. If people want to gamble on sports, why not let a state receive a piece of the action? Currently, states such as New York and New Jersey are discussing the possibility of obtaining congressional approval for legalized sports betting similar to the now-dead Sports Action. Of all ironies, a large portion of the money collected from Sports Action went to benefit state universities' athletic scholarship funds, particularly women's athletics. I'm sure athletic directors Bill Moos and Bob De Carolis are thanking the NCAA for getting rid of the sinister evil that is Sports Action. Oregon always has been known as a progressive state. On issues ranging from medical marijuana to assisted suicide, Oregon has taken stances where other states dared not. Eliminating the only form of legalized sports betting is a step backward. If anything, this issue should have gone to the voters. Now the NCAA is happy; another state is without legalized sports betting. But remember, sports fans - while watching the college football bowl games and next spring's college basketball tournament, take notice. Take notice that while the players run around as billboards for the Nike swoosh swoosh v. swooshed, swoosh·ing, swoosh·es v.intr. 1. To move with or make a rushing sound. 2. To flow or swirl copiously. v.tr. and the three stripes of Adidas, while every major brewer, car company or junk food chain has its name all over the games that are being played or in between with their commercials, and while the NCAA cashes in on its 11-year, $6 billion deal with CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. for showing the basketball tournament games, that the game is a little more pure without Oregon's Sports Action. Thanks, NCAA. You're doing a bang-up job. Brett Olson is a senior in journalism at the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is a public university located in Eugene, Oregon. The university was founded in 1876, graduating its first class two years later. The University of Oregon is one of 60 members of the Association of American Universities. who studied sports betting in the United States for an information-gathering class. |
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